.jpg) Zahibo playing forValencia in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfried Aimeric Jocelyn Ziri Zahibo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-08-21)21 August 1993 (age 31) | ||
| Place of birth | Marseille, France | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Sète | ||
| 2010–2012 | Ajaccio | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2013 | Ajaccio B | 26 | (0) |
| 2013 | Ajaccio | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Ponferradina | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | →Fuenlabrada (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Valencia B | 68 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | Valencia | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Gimnàstic | 21 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | New England Revolution | 58 | (5) |
| 2020 | Houston Dynamo | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | Dundalk | 12 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Borgo | 12 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2019–2021 | Central African Republic | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:07, 13 July 2023 (UTC) | |||
Wilfried Aimeric Jocelyn Ziri Zahibo (born 21 August 1993) is a professionalfootballer who plays as adefensive midfielder who is currently a free agent. Born in France, he played for theCentral African Republic national team.
Zahibo was born in the4th arrondissement of Marseille, France to anIvorian father born inGagnoa, Ivory Coast, and aCentral African mother.[2] When he was young, his family moved toGuadeloupe for his dad's work. He acquiredFrench nationality on 29 January 1998 through the collective effect of his father'snaturalization.[3]
Zahibo began playing football when he was 8 years old.[4][5] When he was 14, he moved back to France and lived with his uncle inSète in hopes of pursuing football professionally. He played in the youth teams ofFC Sète 34 before joining the youth ranks ofAC Ajaccio.[5]
Zahibo joined the academy ofAC Ajaccio in 2010.[5] During the 2011–12 season, he made 2 appearances for the Ajaccio reserve team in theChampionnat de France Amateur 2, the 5th tier of French football. The following year, Zahibo established himself in the side, making 24 appearances for the reserve team.[6] On 5 January 2013, he made his first team debut for Ajaccio againstFC Rouen in theCoupe de France. Zahibo scored his first professional goal in the 88th minute to level the score at one all, but Ajaccio would lose 3–2 on penalties.[7][8]
Zahibo rejected a new contract from Ajaccio in 2013 after expressing his desire to play in Spain and wanting more first team chances.[9] In August 2013, he signed withSD Ponferradina of the SpanishSegunda División and was sent on loan toSegunda División B clubCF Fuenlabrada.[10][4][11] He made his Fuenlabrada debut on 25 August 2013 in a 0–0 draw withBarakaldo CF. Zahibo played in 19 of a possible 21 league games during his time with Fuenlabrada.[12]
On 23 January 2014, Zahibo signed withValencia CF, being initially assigned tothe B-side.[13] He made his Valencia B debut on 25 January in a 3–0 loss toCD Olímpic de Xàtiva. He made 11 appearances during his first season with Valencia B. Zahibo established himself as a key player for the reserves during the 2014–15 season, making 33 appearances and scoring twice as he helped Valencia B avoid relegation to the 4th tier.[14]
Zahibo started the 2015–16 season with the B team before being promoted to the Valencia first team. On 16 December, he made his debut for the first team, playing the full 90 of a 2–0 win overBarakaldo CF in theCopa del Rey. He scored his first goal for the first team on 14 January in 3–0 win in a Copa del Rey match againstGranada CF.[12] Zahibo made his firstLa Liga appearance on 24 January, playing 60 minutes in a 1–1 draw atDeportivo de La Coruña.[15] The 2015–16 saw Zahibo make 7 total appearances and score one goal for the first team, while also making 24 for Valencia B.[14]
On 8 July 2016, Zahibo signed a three-year deal withSegunda División sideGimnàstic de Tarragona.[16][17] He made his debut for Gimnàstic on 21 August, starting in a 2–2 home draw againstCD Lugo.[18] Zahibo made 15 appearances in the league, helping them to a 14th-place finish, along with 2 more appearances in the Copa del Rey during his first season with Gimnàstic.[14]
He played 7 times forNàstic in the 2017–18 season before agreeing to terminate his contract on 5 January 2018.[19]
On 11 January 2018 Zahibo signed withMajor League Soccer sideNew England Revolution.[20] He made his debut for the Revolution on 3 March in a 2–0 loss to thePhiladelphia Union. He picked up 2 assists on 24 March to help the Revs to a 2–2 draw withNew York City FC. On 6 April Zahibo scored his first goal for the Revolution and added an assist to help New England get a 4–0 win over theMontreal Impact. The performance saw Zahibo be named to the MLS Team of the Week.[21] On 5 May he scored 2 goals, however New England lost the game 4–2 to Montreal. He ended his first season in New England with 4 goals and 4 assists from 31 MLS regular season appearances as well as 1 appearance in theU.S. Open Cup.[21][14] However the Revs finished 8th in the Eastern Conference, 9 points off the final playoff spot.[22] Zahibo receivedMLS All-Star honors for 2018, and played in the2018 MLS All-Star Game againstJuventus.[23]
Zahibo scored his first goal of the 2019 season on 24 August in a 2–1 win over theChicago Fire. On 29 September, he had an assist in a 2–0 Revolution win against NYCFC to clinch a playoff spot for the Revolution in their penultimate game of the regular season. Zahibo ended the regular season with 24 games, 1 goal and 1 assist, helping New England to a 7th-place finish in the Eastern Conference. He also had 1 assists from 2 games in the Open Cup. Zahibo started the Revs' playoff game, however they would lose 1–0 toAtlanta United.[21]
Zahibo played in the first 2 games of the 2020 season before the season was paused in March due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. MLS returned to play in July with theMLS is Back Tournament. Zahibo missed the Revolution's first 2 games of the tournament due to an injury, but returned on 21 July for the final game of the group stage, a 0–0 draw withToronto FC.[21] He started the round of 16 matchup with the Philadelphia Union, but the Revs would lose 1–0.[24]
On 17 August 2020, Zahibo was traded to theHouston Dynamo in exchange forTommy McNamara and an international roster spot. with New England also acquiring $175,000 of General Allocation Money spread over 2020 and 2021.[25] He made his Dynamo debut on 2 September, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win overMinnesota United. He made his first start on 9 September in a 1–1 draw at theColorado Rapids, but was substituted at half time.[24] Zahibo missed the next 5 games with a thigh injury.[26] On 7 October he returned to action, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 win overFC Dallas. He ended the season making 4 appearances for the Dynamo.[24] It was a poor season for Houston, ending the year last in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[27] His contract option was declined by Houston following their 2020 season.[28]
Zahibo signed forLeague of Ireland Premier Division clubDundalk on 17 April 2021.[29] He made his debut 3 days later in a 1–1 draw away toDerry City, replacingSam Stanton from the bench in the 65th minute at theRyan McBride Brandywell Stadium.[30] His first start for the club came on 24 April in a 2–1 win overDrogheda United in theLouth Derby atOriel Park.[31] He made a total of 18 appearances during his time with the club, including 5 in theirUEFA Europa Conference League campaign.[32]
Zahibo was eligible to representIvory Coast andFrance through his father, and theCentral African Republic through his mother.[2][33] In October 2019, Zahibo was called up by theCentral African Republic for a friendly match againstNiger, but he did not appear in the game.[34] He was called up again in November forqualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his international debut on 13 November, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 win overBurundi. Zahibo got his first start forLes Fauves on 19 November in a 2–0 loss toMauritania.[35]
Zahibo is fluent in French, Spanish and English.[21] He has a son.[36]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajaccio B | 2011–12 | CFA 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Ajaccio | 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| Ponferradina | 2013–14 | Segunda División | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Fuenlabrada (loan) | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| Valencia B | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 33 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||||
| 2015–16 | 24 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 68 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 3 | ||
| Valencia | 2015–16 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Gimnàstic | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| New England Revolution | 2018 | Major League Soccer | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| 2019 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| 2020 | 3[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 58 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 5 | ||
| Houston Dynamo | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Dundalk | 2021 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 210 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 229 | 10 | ||
Individual
