| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marco André Zoro Kpolo | ||
| Date of birth | December 27, 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Free agent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2002 | Salernitana | 55 | (1) |
| 2003–2007 | Messina | 116 | (5) |
| 2007–2011 | Benfica | 2 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | → Vitória Setúbal (loan) | 30 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Universitatea Craiova (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003– | Côte d'Ivoire | 22 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Marco André Zoro Kpolo (born 27 December 1983 in Abidjan), known as Zoro, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a defender.
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Although he is not a native of the country, Zoro started playing football in Italy, starting with Salernitana Calcio 1919, without making his Serie A debuts. The next season, he played with the Campania team in the second division. In January 2003, Zoro joined Sicilian outfit of F.C. Messina Peloro, helping the side achieve promotion in June. Messina signed him permanently in 2004 on a three-year deal.
Several month's prior to the expiration of Zoro's deal with Messina, he and his agent Francis Kacou had been locked in talks with the club for a contract extension.[1] "For Zoro, his contract is coming up to expiration and there are difficulties in getting him to renew," said Messina president Pietro Franza in October 2006.[2] "We will see over the coming days when we meet with his agent if we can find a possible understanding." Four months later, however, Zoro blasted, "I've read that some of the management won't talk to me about a new contract because they want to leave me hanging. I find this an insult to my professionalism. I have always trained hard and never let outside things influence me. I will also leave them hanging and see if the right club comes in for me."[3][4] Two days later, he attempted to make amends: "When one of your family is treated poorly, it's normal for that person to be upset. I don't want to air our dirty linen in public. We'll talk about my contract at the end of the season. My priority right now is keeping Messina in Serie A."
On 15 May 2008, Zoro signed a four-year deal with Portuguese side S.L. Benfica, arriving for free. He would only feature in two league games throughout the entire season, but scored once in a 2–2 home draw with União de Leiria, on 9 March 2008. In August, he was transfer listed and, on 10 January 2009, underwent a five-day trial at Ewood Park with English Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers.[5][6] However, nothing came of it, and Zoro was loaned until the end of the season to fellow league team Vitória de Setúbal; the arrangement was then extended for the entirety of 2009–10, and he was a regular starter as the Sadinos again barely avoided relegation.
In late January 2011, Zoro was loaned to FC Universitatea Craiova in the Romanian Liga 1.[7] In June, his contract with Benfica expired.
Zoro garnered heavy worldwide interest when, on 27 November 2005, he attempted to stop the Messina-Internazionale match by leaving the field with the ball, after being tormented by racist taunts from some Inter supporters.[8][9][10] He was eventually convinced to keep playing by other players, notably Adriano and Obafemi Martins. These facts then brought strong and unanimous condemnations by the whole football community within Italy, and even a 5-minute delay for an anti-racism display for all the matches to be played in the next week in the country.
The actions of the Inter supporters were also brought to the attention of the European football governing body UEFA as well as that of the European Union.[11][12]
Zoro has represented the Ivory Coast national team since 2003, and appeared at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations (where the nation finished second) and the 2006 FIFA World Cup (no matches played).
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, he netted his first international goal in a 3–0 win over Mali as Côte d'Ivoire eventually finished fourth.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 January 2008 | Accra, Ghana | Mali | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
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