Bristol Rovers Zamora joined
Bristol Rovers as a trainee in August 1999, making a total of six substitute appearances for Bristol Rovers in all competitions, before joining
Bath City on a one-month
loan in early 2000, and then
Brighton & Hove Albion on loan in February 2000.
Brighton & Hove Albion Zamora joined Brighton in February 2000 on a three-month loan until the end of the
1999–2000 season, scoring six goals in six appearances. During his tenure he quickly established himself as a prolific goalscorer, breaking into the
England national under-21 team and attracting interest from several higher-division clubs. He scored 83 times for the club in 136 appearances, The Brighton fans had a chant they used to sing in his honour, to the tune of
Dean Martin's "
That's Amore": "When the ball hits the goal it's not
Shearer or
Cole, it's Zamora."
Tottenham Hotspur Having been watched for much of the previous two seasons by the then manager
Glenn Hoddle, Zamora moved to
Tottenham Hotspur for a £1.5 million fee in July 2003.
West Ham United in 2006 In January 2004, Zamora joined West Ham in a deal which saw
Jermain Defoe go the other way to Tottenham Hotspur. He quickly made his mark, scoring on his debut as West Ham came from behind to beat
Bradford City and also on his home debut, when he scored the winning goal against
Cardiff City. In the
2004–05 season, Zamora scored 13 goals, including one in the first leg and two in the second leg 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. In the
2005–06 season, he made 42 league and cup appearances and scored ten goals 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, 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
Upton Park. 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."'' He started the
2006–07 season well, scoring five of West Ham's six goals in the first four matches of the season 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. In his first season with Fulham, Zamora struggled to find the net, scoring just twice in 35 league appearances over the 2008–09 season. After the season had concluded, Fulham and
Hull City agreed a fee on 15 July, which would have seen Zamora move to Hull for £5 million. Zamora turned down the move to stay with Fulham. 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
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, 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
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.
Queens Park Rangers in 2014. On 31 January 2012, Zamora joined Fulham's west London Premier League rivals
Queens Park Rangers on a two-and-a-half-year contract for a fee believed to be around £4 million. He scored on his debut on 4 February in a 2–1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 21 November 2012, it was announced Zamora would be out injured for three months due to requiring surgery on a hip injury. Zamora was a member of the Queens Park Rangers side which won the
2014 Championship play-off final 1–0 against
Derby County on 24 May 2014 at
Wembley Stadium. He scored the only goal of the match in the 90th minute to return QPR to the Premier League after a one-season absence. In May 2015, Queens Park Rangers announced the release of Zamora.
Return to Brighton & Hove Albion On 3 August 2015, Zamora joined former club Brighton on a one-year deal on a free transfer. He claimed that he turned down an approach by a team competing in the
UEFA Champions League to return to Brighton. His first goal on return to Brighton was an 89th-minute winner against Leeds United on 17 October 2015, coming 4,549 days after his last goal for the club in a 2–2 draw at Grimsby on 4 May 2003. Zamora was released by Brighton when his contract expired at the end of
2015–16. ==International career==