Zesh was born in Birmingham. He was brought up in the Aston area of the city and often played football on the streets in addition to representing his school, a local Sunday league team and later his district and his county in football.
When he was just twelve years old he was spotted by a scout and moved with his family to London where he joined the Fulham Academy. He made his debut for Fulham in 2004 in the Premier League at Anfield against Liverpool. He was the first British Asian player to play in the top division of English football.
Zesh has gone on to achieve the following –
• Start a Premiership match
• Play in all 4 leagues of professional football in England
• And play -
in the FA Cup
in the Carling Cup
for Fulham FC
for Brighton and Hove Albion FC
for Norwich City FC
for Queens.Park.Rangers FC
for Blackpool FC
for Bradford FC
for the Pakistan National team from England
He has played for England and in 2005 he switched to play for Pakistan, of whom he is Captain. He has made a total of eight appearances for Pakistan and took part in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. His most recent transfer was to Bradford City in June 2009 where he is currently wearing the captain’s armband.
Zesh is launching his own Football Foundation in Bradford, the aim to attract more Asians into football and to use the game as a vehicle to help young people improve themselves. He is drawing on the expertise of Watt Nicoll and Otis Roberts , uncle of Blackburn's Jason Roberts, and CEO of the Jason Roberts Foundation, a similar organisation providing opportunities for young people in both the UK and the Caribbean.
Away from football Zesh spends time with family and friends. He is an ambassador for Kick it Out, Asian Football Network and the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. His hobbies include snooker, cinema and socialising with friends and listening to music. He is fluent in Urdu and Punjabi.
To find out more about Zesh, log onto www.zeshrehman.com
