In Udine, northeastern Italy, and on a path not too far away from the stadium, Jordan Zemura rides his scooter.
His dog, Carter, runs alongside. Carter is a 45-kilogram German Shepherd and only a year old. He can sprint for an hour and match the speed of Zemura’s scooter, which travels up to 20 miles an hour. These long, “gruesome walks”, as Zemura calls them, are typical of a day off in Udine and how life has changed over the past two years.
Zemura has integrated into the Italian culture. He is far removed from his family home in Kent or the quiet suburbs of Bournemouth, whichj he left in the summer of 2023 to join Udinese. The city of Udine has a different way of life, with coffee and wine drinkers populating the stoney streets late into the night.
“I’m a dog dad now,” he grins. “I don’t have a girlfriend so it wasn’t like I was going to have a child any time soon. I thought I might as well have a dog. Carter has given me company and responsibility. He has made me grow up because moving from my comfort zone to a new country was going to require that.”
The sense of isolation, Zemura admits, was initially a struggle. He was living on his own in a three-bedroom city centre apartment yet felt stuck with his own thoughts. The early days, created by the solitariness, caused long periods of self-reflection.
“That was the biggest thing,” he says. “After training, you come home and you are by yourself, you are alone. If I don’t say anything, nothing is said in the house. I was with my own thoughts and decisions and I spent a lot of time thinking about training or performances in games. The first few months were tough.”
Zemura’s time at Bournemouth ended acrimoniously. Against the backdrop of faltering contract negotiations, the left-back was made to train with the under-21s.
Reasons behind the failure to agree to a deal were complex and based on Zemura being an academy graduate who, despite being instrumental in their promotion-winning Championship campaign of 2021-22, was still on his first professional contract.
Zemura had been picked up by Bournemouth following his release from Charlton Athletic in 2019. His acceleration into the first team was unexpected and a consequence of making use of opportunity. In the summer of 2021, when Bournemouth were entering a period of transition, incoming manager Scott Parker was without a senior left-back.
It fell on Zemura to start their opening-day fixture at home to West Bromwich Albion and was a sliding-doors moment. Zemura established himself, even with the loan signing of Leif Davis, who is now flourishing in the Premier League with Ipswich Town.
Zemura in action for Udinese last month (Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Zemura forged an exhilarating partnership on the left flank with his best friend Jaidon Anthony. They attacked with pace and purpose, their connection founded upon overlaps, underlaps and an athleticism few could match.
Zemura made his Premier League debut at 22 and while Bournemouth retreated, out of necessity, to a less free-wheeling style which was not inclined to his attacking surges, the full-back registered 19 top-flight appearances. That number would have been more, had game time not been scuppered by the contract issues.
“The club had to do what was right for themselves and I had to put myself first,” Zemura says. “But it was never easy because I was playing all the games, fans sang my name and I was living my dream. But football also has a business side. I respect them and they are smashing it right now.”
Moving into the free agency market was unforeseen and as surprising as his eventual destination would be. Zemura carried an attractive profile; he was 23, experienced and possessed qualities that chimed with a modern-day full-back.
“I first had the idea of moving abroad when I knew it wasn’t gonna happen with me at Bournemouth,” he says. “I thought, ‘How do I grow and not be seen as a young player who came through the English academy system?’ I wanted to distance myself from that bracket.
“You don’t play for 40-50 years. This move was about enjoying football as much as I can before it finishes. When I first came out here, I said to myself that, when all is said and done, I can be forever proud for taking that leap of faith.”
A British-born player migrating to Serie A has been a well-trodden path of late. Italy has welcomed a flurry of Scottish imports, tending to be impressed by the professionalism and knowing they often came at a lower cost.
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Zemura, born in Lambeth, London, but a Zimbabwe international through his family, took a similar step. Free agency meant Udinese viewed his signing as financially viable and background character checks returned favourably.
Pushing outside his “comfort zone”, as he puts it, appealed. Zemura wanted to challenge himself away from insular surroundings, not only in a football sense but embracing a lifestyle abnormal to him.
Living in Italy provided greater maturity and, in his mind, would help become a more well-rounded left-back, with defensively specific work complementing his marauding style.
“I don’t give myself self-praise, though I’m proud of myself for coming through adversity,” he says. “At the start, I wasn’t playing much and kept thinking ‘Oh, was this the right decision?’ But then I just kept my head down and things fell into place.”
Zemura started 10 league matches in his debut season, coming off the bench a further 17 times. A period of adaptation felt inevitable, yet was made increasingly difficult by Udinese’s flux. In their 29th successive season in Serie A, they staved off relegation by two points after three different head coaches, including World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro.
“I found training tough at the start,” the 25-year-old says. “We had an interpreter and the previous coach (Gabriele Cioffi) was an Italian speaker, so I would always be standing next to the interpreter just to make sure I didn’t make a mistake in knowing what he wanted to do.
“Udinese said to me: ‘When you do interviews, it has got to be in Italian’. So I’ve been doing lessons for over a year with two different tutors, Ivano and Tiago. I’ve got a few other team-mates from non-Italian countries and we are in groups learning.”
Early turbulent waters have steadied on the pitch with Udinese mid-table and Zemura starting five of the last seven league matches. He was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta.
“If you think football is just going to be smooth and you play 38 games a season and nothing bad happens, then you’re in the wrong business.”
Zemura celebrates scoring for Udinese (Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)
On-field improvements have translated into his life away from football. Zemura has moved and now lives in a more serene, quieter part of Udine.
“Venice is nearby,” he says. “You see the water on the streets and even in Udine, it’s very peaceful and I love the simplicity of it. I see everyone having a glass of wine to finish their day.”
Tactically, Zemura has added nuance to his game. He explains how increased precision has been the key area of refinement, having recognised opportunities to venture into dangerous crossing positions are far rarer.
“The Premier League is way more transitional,” he says. “Games are ending 4-1, 3-1, 3-2 etc. Those results don’t happen here. It’s more about match moments, how you work the 10-v-10 on the pitch and how you can include your goalkeeper as an extra player to give you the advantage. You’re waiting for the opposition mistake to capitalise.
“You have to be precise in the final action because there are few goalscoring moments, due to the cat-and-mouse aspect. I have to be decisive in my timings of movement and the final cross, because that will make the difference. When I get in the final third, I have to make it count.
“I’m no longer in a back four. It’s not the same connections as at Bournemouth, where I would have a winger and the left No 10 in front. I’m now the furthest forward and it’s mostly wing-back vs wing-back because you are playing against another back five.
“I played against Roma and directly against Paulo Dybala and thought, ‘Wow’. He wasn’t rapid but his mind was five steps ahead of everyone else. The ball was never out of his reach — he was unreal.”
Academically, Zemura has often excelled. He has always shared an enthusiasm for education, making the challenge of learning another language less daunting. He studied sport science and physical education at Canterbury Christ Church University and remained interested in English and history.
“I did a year there and passed,” Zemura says. “I would have training and travel from London to Canterbury and would turn up at the back of the class.”
Zemura was once considered for a scholarship that would have led him to one of the eminent universities in the United Kingdom.
“Imagine, if I got it,” Zemura says. “My life would be so different. I would be a major in English or history, teaching people. Everyone asks me if I knew I was going to be a pro footballer. But when you’re coming through an academy, you don’t know. Remember, I was 22 and had played 50-plus games at Bournemouth but when my contract was coming to an end, I still didn’t know.
“I love English literature. I’m good with words and want to release a book when I’m older. History is fascinating because so much has happened before us. I often think about the Great Fire of London in 1666. I don’t know why I do, but I have always known specific dates because I loved reading about them.”
Zemura ends the interview by asking The Athletic his own questions. They range from this writer’s experience of playing football and, perhaps looking into the future, to journalism and various forms of writing.
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While some of his aspirations post-football are being mapped out, at 25, Zemura hopes to return to the Premier League one day.
“That would be good,” he says. “But joining Udinese in the first place was probably the best decision I’ve ever made.”
(Top photo: Timothy Rogers via Getty Images)
