Bruno Zebie (born August 14, 1995) is a former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Born in France, Zebie represented Canada at youth level.

Bruno Zebie
Personal information
Full name Bruno Zebie
Date of birth (1995-08-14) August 14, 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
CS St-Hubert
Edmonton Juventus SC
2012–2015 FC Edmonton
2016–2017 Edmonton Green and Gold
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Alberta Golden Bears 16 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 FC Edmonton 1 (0)
2017–2018 Calgary Foothills 26 (2)
2019 FC Edmonton 23 (1)
2020 Cavalry FC 10 (0)
Total 60 (3)
International career
2013 Canada U18 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 15, 2020

Early life

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Zebie was born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France, to Ivorian parents. He acquired French nationality on 29 July 1999, through the collective effect of his parents' naturalization.[1]

He moved to Lachine, Quebec at age six, later moving to Brossard, Quebec.[2] His family then moved to Edmonton when he was 13.[2] He began playing youth soccer with Edmonton Juventus before joining the FC Edmonton Academy in 2012.[3] In 2016, he joined the Edmonton Green and Gold youth academy.[3]

University career

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In 2016, he began attending the University of Alberta, where he played for the men's soccer team.[4] In his first season, he was named a Canada West Second Team All-Star,[5] winning the U Sports Men's Soccer Championship with the team.[6] In 2017, he was named a Canada West First Team All-Star.[7]

Club career

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Zebie joined FC Edmonton's senior side in the North American Soccer League on July 3, 2015 on a week-to-week contract.[8] He made his first appearance on July 13 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, as a substitution for Michael Nonni.[3]

After the NASL folded, Zebie played with the Calgary Foothills for the 2017 and 2018 Premier Development League seasons.[9][10] The club would end up champions in 2018, capturing the PDL Championship in a 2-1 victory over Reading United in the final.[11]

Zebie returned to FC Edmonton on December 13, 2018, ahead of the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League.[12] In November 2019, Edmonton announced Zebie would not be returning to the club for the 2020 season.[13]

On February 5, 2020, Zebie signed with Alberta rival Cavalry FC, becoming the first player to play for both Al Classico rival clubs,[14][15] reuniting with his former Calgary Foothills coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.[16] He appeared in all ten of Cavalry's matches that year.[17] On January 26, 2021, the club announced it had declined Zebie's contract option for 2021 (due to league rules of having 4 international imports), making him a free agent.[18] Following the season, he returned to his hometown of Edmonton to coach.[19]

International career

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Zebie has been called up to camps for Canada at the under-18 and under-20 level.[2] In 2013, he took part in the L'Alcúdia International Football Tournament as an under-18 Canada team finished fourth in the annual under-20 tournament.[20]

Personal life

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Zebie's elder brother Allan was also a professional soccer player.[21]

Honours

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University of Alberta Golden Bears

Calgary Foothills

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "JORF n° 0175 du 31 juillet 1999 - Légifrance" (PDF). legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). p. 11530. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Bruno Zebie Canada profile". Canadian Soccer Association. January 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c McMaster, Joe (August 16, 2019). "CPL Feature: Bruno Zebie came home for FC Edmonton". Last Word on Sports.
  4. ^ "Bruno Zebie Alberta Golden Bears profile". Alberta Golden Bears.
  5. ^ "Record-setter Sarkaria wins Canada West Player of the Year Award". Alberta Golden Bears. November 3, 2016.
  6. ^ "Golden Bears crowned national champions". Alberta Golden Bears. November 13, 2016.
  7. ^ "Canada West announces Men's Soccer Awards and All-Stars". Alberta Golden Bears. November 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "FC Edmonton Signs Academy Product Bruno Zebie". Our Sports Central. July 3, 2015.
  9. ^ "Bruno Zebie 2017 PDL Stats". USL League Two.
  10. ^ "Bruno Zebie 2018 PDL Stats". USL League Two.
  11. ^ Gradon, Stuart (August 4, 2018). "Calgary Foothills FC win 2018 PDL championship". Total Soccer Project.
  12. ^ "FC Edmonton signs Son Yongchan, Bruno Zebie, Ajeej Sarkaria and Ajay Khabra". Canadian Premier League. December 13, 2018.
  13. ^ Khimji, Khassim (November 4, 2019). "FC Edmonton announces the departures of eight players following 2019 CPL season". FC Edmonton. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  14. ^ "Bruno Zebie joins Cavalry FC for the 2020 Season". Cavalry FC. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bruno Zebie switches Al Classico sides with Cavalry move". February 5, 2020.
  16. ^ Saelhof, Todd (March 9, 2020). "Zebie brings competitive spirit back to Cavalry". Calgary Sun.
  17. ^ Jacques, John (September 21, 2020). "Meet The Ten Iron Men Of The Island Games". Northern Tribune.
  18. ^ Thompson, Marty (January 26, 2021). "Dominick Zator, Jay Wheeldon highlight list of Cavalry FC departures". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Saelhof, Todd (June 26, 2021). "Game on! Cavalry charges into CPL season without 13 familiar faces". Calgary Sun.
  20. ^ "Two Under-18 Players In Canada Squad". Toronto FC. August 7, 2013.
  21. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (May 27, 2020). "Zebie brothers hoping Bruno's switch to Cavalry might ignite Al Classico rivalry". Canadian Premier League.
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