STOKE OF GENIUS
Premier League cult hero, 35, jets into IRAN to join 10th club of rollercoaster career on free transfer
Scroll down to see the star's stunning career
FORMER Premier League star Steven Nzonzi is set to join the 10th club of his unbelievable career.
The 35-year-old Frenchman will join Iranian first division side Sepahan on a free transfer following the completion of routine medical checks and the penning of his contract.
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Nzonzi, who spent time in the Premier League with Stoke and Blackburn, is currently a free agent following the expiation of his deal with Turkish outfit Konyaspor.
The defensive midfielder will now carry on his playing career which has seen him play in SEVEN different countries.
Nzonzi started his career on the books at Ligue 2 club Amiens SC, graduating from their academy and earning himself a Premier League switch to Blackburn Rovers in 2009 for a fee of £650,000.
He stayed at Ewood Park for three seasons before switching to Stoke City in 2012 where he played alongside stars such as Peter Crouch, Marko Arnautovic and Michael Owen.
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During his stints with Stoke and Blackburn he racked up an impressive 195 Premier League appearances and earned himself a move to play Champions League football with Sevilla.
Nzonzi stayed at Sevilla for three years and helped the club lift the Europa League in 2016 under the management of Unai Emery.
His efforts with Sevilla didn't go unnoticed either, with a £23million switch to Roma following soon after.
However, his big money move to the Italian capital wasn't the biggest thing that happened in the summer of 2018.
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Nzonzi became a World Cup winner with France, playing in all-but two of France's games as they lifted the iconic trophy in Russia.
Nzonzi's time with Roma was disrupted by loan moves to Galatasaray and Stade Rennais, before he left the club in 2021 to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan on a free transfer.
Where are they now: The unusual careers of former footballers
After two years of playing alongside James Rodriguez in the Middle East, Nzonzi left to join Konyaspor last summer where he spent the season before his imminent move to Sepahan.
Nzonzi had been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal throughout his career, while clubs such as West Ham, Barcelona and Everton were also rumoured to be keen in the midfield star.
Across his enviable list of former employers Nzonzi has made 583 career appearances, scoring 34 times and registering 26 assists.
While his efforts for the French national side have seen him earn 20 caps across the World Cup, Nations League and a number of International friendlies.
Steven Nzonzi's incredible career
A brief look at Nzonzi's career...
Club career
- 2008 - 2009: Amiens SC
- 2009 - 2012: Blackburn Rovers
- 2012 - 2015: Stoke City
- 2015 - 2018: Sevilla
- 2018 - 2021: AS Roma
- 2019 - 2020: Galatasaray (loan)
- 2020 - 2021: Stade Rennais (loan)
- 2021 - 2023: Al-Rayyan
- 2023 - 2024: Konyaspor
- 2024 - present: Sepahan
International career
- Debut: November 10, 2017 vs Wales
- Last game: November 17, 2020 vs Sweden
- Caps: 20
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 0
Honours
- 1 x World Cup winner
- 1 x Uefa Nations League winner
- 1 x Europa Leaguer winner
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