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Robert Lester Zamora (born 16 January 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Zamora began his career at Barking Abbey School. Then he moved to Football League club Bristol Rovers, but was soon signed by Brighton & Hove Albion, where he found first-team success. Zamora scored 77 goals in three seasons and helped the club achieve two successive promotions.
Following a spell at Tottenham Hotspur, Zamora was signed by West Ham United, where he played for five years and won promotion to the Premier League. Zamora joined Fulham in 2008, where, in his first season, he played regularly but scored only four goals. However, Zamora's form in the 2009–10 season gained praise and subsequently saw the player gain a call-up for England. Zamora had an important role in Fulham's successes in the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Europa League, before transferring to Queens Park Rangers in January 2012. He returned to play for Brighton in 2015 and retired from football in December 2016.
Zamora also played for the England national under-21 team before gaining his first full cap at senior level almost a decade later.
In the 2004–05 season, Zamora scored 13 goals, including one in the first leg "West Ham 2–2 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 14 May 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2007. and two in the second leg "Ipswich 0–2 West Ham". BBC Sport. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2007. of the Championship play-off semi-final against Ipswich Town and the only goal in West Ham's 1–0 victory over Preston North End in the 2005 Championship play-off final sending West Ham into the Premier League. "Zamora puts Hammers back into Premiership". BBC Sport. 30 May 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2007. In the 2005–06 season, he made 42 league and cup appearances and scored ten goals as West Ham finished in the top half of the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final, "Liverpool 3–3 West Ham (aet)". BBC Sport. 13 May 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2007. for which he received an FA Cup runners-up medal, missing a penalty in the shootout against Liverpool. He was rewarded for his contribution to the team with a new four-year contract in January 2006, "Zamora pens new Hammers contract". BBC Sport. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2007. and extended it to 2011 in October 2006, saying, "I'm delighted to have extended my contract and I'm now looking forward to spending my long-term future at Boleyn Ground. I've been here for almost three years now, and there is really no other place I would rather be. This is my club and wearing a claret and blue shirt is all I have ever wanted to do." "Zamora signs new Hammers contract". BBC Sport. 7 October 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
He started the 2006–07 season well, scoring five of West Ham's six goals in the first four matches of the season but, as West Ham hit a bad patch that saw them struggling in the relegation places, he did not score again until January 2007. However, he ended the season with 11 goals, including a controversial goal against Blackburn Rovers in March 2007 and being the first player to score a winning goal against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in April 2007, as West Ham pulled off an unexpected escape from relegation. He made only 14 appearances for West Ham in the 2007–08 season after missing five months of the season with tendinitis suffered in August 2007 but scored against Derby in West Ham's 2–1 win. By the end of the 2007–08 season, Zamora had made 152 appearances in all competitions for West Ham, scoring 40 goals.
Shortly after he turned down Hull, he played in a friendly against Peterborough United and scored twice in a 3–3 draw. Four days later he made his UEFA Europa League debut, against FK Vėtra of Lithuania, scoring once and setting up two goals to give Fulham a 3–0 away advantage going into the second leg. He opened his 2009–10 Premier League account on the opening day of the season when a Clint Dempsey shot hit him on the back and beat David James in the Portsmouth goal. He scored his second goal of the season against Hull on 19 October 2009 by heading in a rebound in the 43rd minute as Fulham won 2–0. By scoring the lone goal against Sunderland on 6 December 2009, Zamora doubled his output from the previous season with his fourth goal of the campaign. In celebrating his winning goal, Zamora held a finger against his lips in response to the Fulham fans who had previously jeered him.
On 17 December 2009, with Fulham needing a win to progress from Group E in the UEFA Europa League, Zamora scored twice against FC Basel in a 3–2 victory at St. Jakob-Park. Two days later, Zamora scored once again in a 3–0 win against Manchester United at Craven Cottage prompting talk of a call-up to the England squad. On 5 January 2010, he dislocated his shoulder at the Britannia Stadium during Fulham's 3–2 loss to Stoke City.
Zamora struck the winner in Fulham's UEFA Europa League Round of 32 first leg match against Shakhtar Donetsk, his powerful strike from outside the box earning the Premier League side a 2–1 win. Zamora continued his scoring form on 22 February 2010 when netting a last minute free-kick against Birmingham City as Fulham came from behind to win 2–1. Zamora also scored Fulham's first goal in what was a historic UEFA Europa League comeback against Juventus FC, Fulham winning 4–1 on the night and 5–4 on aggregate. Zamora was widely praised for the trouble he caused Juventus' veteran captain Fabio Cannavaro, who was sent off in the 27th minute, having suggested that the Italian was past his best prior to the match. He continued to impress on the European stage for Fulham; scoring in both legs of a 3–1 aggregate win against reigning Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg as Fulham progressed to the UEFA Europa League semi-final. His goal during the second leg in Germany came after just 22 seconds. Fulham went on to reach the final of the UEFA Europa League but, with Zamora's fitness in real doubt, they were beaten 2–1 by Atlético Madrid of Spain.
On 10 September 2010, Zamora signed a new four-year contract with Fulham, which would have kept him at the London club until the summer of 2014. The day after, Zamora broke his leg during a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers following a challenge from Karl Henry that drew criticism. Zamora made his return from injury as a substitute in the FA-Cup encounter against Bolton Wanderers on 21 February 2011. He marked his Premier League return, again as a substitute, with a match-deciding goal from the penalty spot against Blackburn Rovers on 5 March 2011.
Zamora was watched by the Trinidad and Tobago coach, Leo Beenhakker, who also spoke to his club manager at the time Alan Pardew. However, Zamora turned down the chance of playing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Trinidad and Tobago, saying in August 2005, "Trinidad is my dad's country and to play in the finals would be a dream but West Ham are more important. I am only thinking about the club at the moment and do not want to be distracted from that."
On 7 August 2009, it was revealed that Zamora and Jlloyd Samuel had received their Trinidadian passports, and would play for the Soca Warriors in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against El Salvador on 12 August. However, Zamora did not get his first cap due to an injury he picked up while training. His form in the 2009–10 season led to calls for Zamora to be called up to the England squad, and there had been rumours that Fabio Capello had been visiting Craven Cottage to look at his performances. However, due to an Achilles injury, he was not included in Fabio Capello's provisional squad of 30 players for the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was announced on 11 May 2010.
On 7 August 2010, Zamora was one of five uncapped players named in the England squad for their friendly on 11 August against Hungary alongside Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Michael Dawson, and Gary Cahill. On 11 August 2010, Zamora won his first England cap in a friendly, coming on as a half time substitute against Hungary in a 2–1 win at Wembley Stadium.
On 23 May 2011, Zamora was selected for the England squad to face Switzerland in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier on 4 June at Wembley Stadium. On 15 November 2011, Zamora made his full England debut by starting in the 1–0 friendly victory over Sweden at Wembley Stadium.
Zamora appeared on The Grand Fishing Adventure in 2022 with Ali Hamidi, a four-episode series where the two visited some of Britain's best fishing locations.
| + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | |||
| Bristol Rovers | 1999–2000 | Second Division|4||0||1||0||1||0||0||0||6|0 | |
| Bath City (loan) | 1999–2000 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 8 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 1999–2000 | Third Division | 6 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2000–01 | Third Division | 31 |
| 2001–02 | Second Division | 32 | |
| 2002–03 | First Division | 14 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2003–04 | Premier League | 1 |
| West Ham United | 2003–04 | First Division | 5 |
| 2004–05 | EFL Championship | 13 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 10 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 11 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 1 | |
| Fulham | 2008–09 | Premier League | 4 |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 19 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 7 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 7 | |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2011–12 | Premier League | 2 |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 5 | |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 4 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 3 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2015–16 | Championship | 7 |
| + Appearances and goals by national team and year | |
| England | 0 |
| 0 | |
West Ham United
Fulham
Queens Park Rangers
Individual
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