Didier Zokora

Didier Zokora (born December 14, 1980 in Abidjan) is an Côte d'Ivoiren Football (soccer) who plays the position of midfielder. He joined the FA Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in the summer of 2006. Zokora plays in a withdrawn defensive role and is a strong tactical player in the middle of the park.

Starting his career in Côte d'Ivoire, in 2000 eventually moved abroad to play for Belgium team KRC Genk. In the summer of 2004 he went to play for AS Saint-Étienne. Zokora has also played 41 international matches for the Côte d'Ivoire national football team, as of October 2006.

Just before Christmas of 2005, his agent revealed that his contract had a £10 million release fee at the end of the season (June 2006). He noted that Real Madrid, Chelsea F.C., Manchester United F.C., and Arsenal F.C. were all vying for his client's signature, and as of December 22, Arsenal looked like the most likely candidate to win his signature. However, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger publicly stated that he would not make a move for Zokora (although, enigmatically, club scout Gilles Grimandi stated that the club may target an unnamed Ligue 1 midfielder, later revealed to be Abou Diaby), making Manchester United (looking to replace Roy Keane) seemingly the forerunners of the race to sign him.

On June 22, 2006, pictures of him posing with a Tottenham Hotspur fan and his flag surfaced. The fan claimed he met up with Damien Comolli, Didier Zokora and his agent, who claimed he was close to signing for Tottenham. The same day, Eurosport France posted the news that AS Saint-Étienne and Tottenham Hotspur had agreed a deal at around £8.6 million. On June 30, 2006 he completed his move to Tottenham.

Didier has become a firm favourite amongst the Tottenham Hotspur fans, (especially after it was revealed that he had turned down a move to local rivals Arsenal to join Spurs) in the short time he has been a player at the club most notably for his powerful attacking runs as well as his enthusiastic celebrations of goals and his interaction with the fans after games. The chant sung for Didier Zokora, is to the theme tune of "Lets all do the Conga" Do-do-do Didier Zokora

Didier has a tattoo on his right forearm which says Armand. It was the name of his brother who drowned at the beach when Didier was 17, Armand was only 14. Didier says he plays every game for his brother.

Didier has recently denied speculation linking him with a move away from White Hart Lane stating that he is 'happy' at Spurs and is unaware of any interest from other clubs. This, after alleged enquires from Spanish La Liga sides Sevilla FC and Valencia CF.