Karim Zaza

Karim Zaza (born January 9, 1975) is a Denmark-Moroccan professional football (soccer) player, who plays as a goalkeeper for Denmark club Aalborg Boldspilklub. Born in Denmark to Moroccan parents, he established himself as one of the top goalkeepers of the Danish Superliga with three consecutive Det Gyldne Bur awards from 2001 to 2003.

Biography

He started his youth years as a striker, but due to his harsh temper he was moved back to goalkeeper to stay out of trouble. He first played at Brøndby IF, but never got a match for the club, and moved on to main rivals FC København in 1995. Here he was known as a somewhat errant goalkeeper, despite showing good reflexes and wikt:technique, and he spent lacklustre time on loan at Fremad Amager (one match) and Silkeborg IF (no matches).

In 2000 he made a permanent move to provincial club Odense BK. Here he immediately made an impact, and got his big breakthrough, winning the Danish Goalkeeper of the Year award in both 2001 and 2002. Former club Brøndby then decided to move in after him. In January 2003, Zaza signed a two-year contract with Brøndby, effective after the end of the Danish Superliga 2002-03 season. He moved back to Brøndby on a Free transfer (football) in July 2003, looking to star in the newly built team of coach Michael Laudrup. Zaza continued his successful run, and won another Danish Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2003.

Following an injury at the start of the Danish Superliga 2004-05 season, Zaza found himself benched as a result of young substitute Casper Ankergren's good performances, and only played two matches for his team that year. He didn't find more playing time in the first half of the Danish Superliga 2005-06 season, again sitting on the bench. Following the winter break halfway through the season, Zaza reclaimed his starting position for the remainding half of the season. As his contract with Brøndby expired in June 2006, he made a move to Rot-Weiss Essen of the Germany secondary 2nd Bundesliga (football) division.

He established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper in the Essen team. Despite battling to avoid relegation in the Second Fußball-Bundesliga 2006/07 season, Zaza kept a number of clean sheets for Rot-Weiss Essen. The club was relegated at the end of the season, and Zaza moved back to Denmark. He signed a two-year contract with Danish Superliga club Aalborg Boldspilklub (AaB), replacing AaB's goalkeeping legend Jimmy Nielsen.

Honours

- Danish Cup:
- - 1995 and 1997, with FC København
- - 2005, with Brøndby IF
- Det Gyldne Bur
- Danish Superliga: Danish Superliga 2004-05, with Brøndby IF and Danish Superliga 2007-08 with Aalborg BK