Kurt Zouma was handed a start in the center of the Chelsea FC defense in last night’s Capital One Cup matchup with Bolton Wanderers. The 19 year old French defender was partnered with Gary Cahill and played the full 90 minutes but could not manage to keep a clean sheet against the Championship side.
What Kurt Zouma did manage however was a goal on his full first team debut for the Blues. The goal came early on in the match and it appeared that it would be the first of many goals for Chelsea and hence, a bit inconsequential. Instead it ended up being a vital goal for Chelsea as they defeated Bolton by only a one goal margin.
His goal was nothing spectacular but it was precisely the sort of goal that a certain other Chelsea defender by the name of John Terry would score. Kurt Zouma told the standard that John Terry is one of his idols and that the Chelsea captain was one of his favorite players when was a child which makes sense considering Terry has been at Chelsea since the youngster was five or six years old.
"My favorite footballers as a kid were John Terry and Mamadou Sakho, now of Liverpool. Terry is a great leader and the perfect example to young players. It is very exciting for me. I’ve always looked up to him and I just want to learn as much as possible from him. I speak to him and he’s a very nice man.Source: Standard"
Kurt Zouma has certainly looked the part as the long term future in the heart of the Chelsea defense. At just 19 years old it is fantastic that he is getting this sort of first team experience even if it is against a Championship side. The young defender may not be ready to play week in and week out for Chelsea but he is showing excellent potential and is learning from some of the best players and managers in the business.
Kurt Zouma’s opening goal against Bolton Wanderers: