Bernard François Dassise Zoko (born 13 September 1983), known as François Zoko, is an Ivorian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who is currently Head of Academy Coaching at

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...

Career

Early career

Born in

Daloa Daloa is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both the Sassandra-Marahoué District and the Haut-Sassandra Region. It is also the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Daloa Department. Daloa is also a commune. In the 2014 census, the ci ...

, Zoko began his career at youth team C.O. Savigny-sur-Orge and signed in 2000 for

AS Nancy Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), known as AS Nancy Lorraine, and more commonly as Nancy, is a French football club founded in 1967 and based in Nancy, Grand Est. The club plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot located in Tomb ...

. He played four years at Nancy, making 70 appearances and scoring 8 goals, before signing in summer 2004 for

Stade Lavallois Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club (), also referred to as Stade Lavallois or simply Laval,Stade Laval, used by some English-speaking media outlets and journalists, is not a grammatically correct name for the club. is a Football in France, F ...

. Zoko then moved to R.A.E.C. Mons in 2006, and played two seasons in the Jupiler League. After 55 games and scoring 11 goals, Zoko was contacted by several teams in the Jupiler League, but decided to join the

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

club for a new challenge in the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

. Throughout his career, Zoko has been used as a striker or winger. Whilst at Hacettepe Spor, Zoko was also used as a central midfielder. There were many off field problems at Hacettepe, which meant that Zoko finally left and joined his former R.A.E.C Mons manager at

KV Oostende Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende, also called KV Oostende () or KVO, was a Belgian professional football club based in Ostend, West Flanders. The team was founded in 1904 as ''VG Oostende'' and had ''matricule'' number 31. The club was declare ...

in January in order to play football again. At Oostende, Zoko played 11 games, scoring 4 goals and making 5 assists.

Carlisle United

Zoko was on trial with

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

side

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...

ahead of the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season, scoring in a 4–1 pre-season friendly victory against Kendal Town. After impressing during a two-week trial, he signed a permanent one-year contract with the club in July 2010. Zoko made his debut for Carlisle in the club's first game of the 2010–11 season, playing 75 minutes in Carlisle's 2–0 win against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

. He received a standing ovation from the Carlisle United supporters when he was substituted, and manager

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

said there's "more to come" from Zoko. Zoko had a very good start to life in English football becoming a crowd and team favourite, and under 10 matches into his season, he was offered a new contract in order to keep

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

and Premiership teams away. He was linked to Wigan, Swansea and Burnley. In June 2012, Zoko refused a new contract from Carlisle United stating his desire to play in the Championship. He scored 19 goals in 88 league appearances. In July 2012, it was reported that

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

and

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

were interested in signing the

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

following his release from Carlisle United.

Notts County

On 3 August 2012, Zoko signed a two-year deal with

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...

. He made his competitive debut in the league against

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

. He also scored his first goal for the club as they ran out 2–1 winners. He scored his second goal for the club just three days later against

Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...

in a 2–0 win. Zoko came off the bench to score his fourth goal for Notts County, in a 4–0 victory over his old team

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

. He picked up the "Man of the Match" award in a 4–1 victory over Bury, after coming off the bench to score two goals. On 29 August 2013, Zoko left Notts County by mutual consent.

Stevenage

Following his departure from Notts County, Zoko signed a short-term deal with

side

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

on 4 October, on a contract lasting until January 2014. He made a goalscoring debut for the club four days after signing, poking in Michael Doughty's shot to restore parity in an eventual 2–1 home win over

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

in the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

. In Stevenage's next match, Zoko scored twice in a 2–1 victory over

Broadhall Way Broadhall Way, known as the Lamex Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is an association football stadium in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It has been the home ground of Stevenage (formerly Stevenage Borough and Stevenage Town) since the early 1960s, a ...

, the club's first home league win of the season. He made it four goals in his first three games when he scored a late consolation strike in Stevenage's 2–1 loss at

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

on 19 October. Three weeks later, he netted again, this time scoring twice in Stevenage's 2–1 win over

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

on 9 November, taking his seasonal goal tally to six. Three days later, Zoko scored in a 3–2 win over

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...

in the Football League Trophy; his goal coming in just the third minute when he connected with Luke Freeman's inswinging cross. He took his goal tally for the season to ten when he scored in three consecutive matches towards the end of November and start of December, scoring in league defeats to Gillingham and

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

, before netting a headed goal in a 4–0 win over

Stourbridge Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham, at the southwester ...

in the FA Cup second round. Zoko ended the year by scoring a late consolation strike in Stevenage's 4–1 loss away at

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

, curling the ball into the goal with a first-time finish after good work from Luke Freeman. He scored in the club's first game of 2014, the final game before Zoko's short-term contract was set to expire, a 3–2 win away at

side

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

in the FA Cup. Just three days later, on 7 January 2014, Zoko signed a contract to remain at Stevenage for the rest of the 2013–14 season. In 40 appearances for Stevenage, he scored 16 goals. On 17 May 2014, Zoko was released by

Blackpool

On 15 August 2014, Zoko signed for

club

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

on a one-year contract. He made his debut for the club the next day as a second-half substitute. He scored his first goal for Blackpool in a 1–0 win over

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

on 3 October 2014. On 22 November 2014, Zoko joined

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

on loan until 17 January 2015. He scored his first goal for Bradford in a 1–0 win over

Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...

on 3 March 2015.

Yeovil Town

On 21 November 2015, Zoko signed for League Two side

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...

on a short-term contract. Having scored four goals since signing for Yeovil, on 21 January 2015, he extended his contract until the end of the season. At the end of the 2018–19 season, Zoko was released by Yeovil following the club's relegation from the Football League.

Grantham Town

In September 2019, Zoko joined

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

Premier Division side Grantham Town as a player/first-team coach, as well as taking up a Football in the Community role.

International career

Zoko has been capped for Ivory Coast at U-20 level, and played at

2003 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 14th FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. Brazil claimed their fourth title, becoming the first country to simultaneously ho ...

alongside Everton striker

Arouna Koné Arouna Koné (born 11 November 1983) is an Ivorian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. After making a name for himself in the Eredivisie, with Roda JC and PSV Ein ...

and has also played for Ivory Coast at U-23 level.

Career statistics

Honours

Carlisle United *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoko, Francois 1983 births Living people People from Daloa Sportspeople from Sassandra-Marahoué District Ivorian men's footballers Ivory Coast men's under-20 international footballers Men's association football forwards Ivorian emigrants to France Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in England AS Nancy Lorraine players Stade Lavallois players R.A.E.C. Mons (1910) players K.V. Oostende players Carlisle United F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Hacettepe S.K. footballers Yeovil Town F.C. players Grantham Town F.C. players Ligue 2 players Belgian Pro League players Süper Lig players Challenger Pro League players English Football League players Northern Premier League players Midland Football League players Burton Albion F.C. non-playing staff 21st-century Ivorian sportsmen