Denis Zakaria was born on 20 November 1996 in Geneva, Switzerland, and came through the youth ranks at Servette before making his senior debut for the club in 2014. He moved to Young Boys in July 2015, where he quickly established himself as one of the more promising midfielders in Swiss football, earning the Super League's Best Young Star award in 2016 after contributing across 67 appearances in two seasons.
In June 2017, Zakaria joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for around €10 million, stepping into a demanding central midfield role and going on to make 146 appearances across four and a half seasons. His performances drew comparisons with Patrick Vieira — a nod to his physical, box-to-box style of play that combines defensive solidity with an ability to contribute in attack.
A January 2022 transfer took him to Juventus, where he marked his debut against Hellas Verona with a goal. Later that year, in September 2022, he joined Chelsea on a season-long loan with an option to buy. Although his time at Stamford Bridge was disrupted by injury — including a setback suffered in a January 2023 match against Fulham — he did manage a decisive goal in the Champions League group stage against Dinamo Zagreb. Chelsea remains his registered club at the time of this profile.
At international level, Zakaria has earned 52 caps for Switzerland since his senior debut in May 2016 against Belgium, scoring 3 goals. He represented his country at UEFA Euro 2016 and at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.