Kenza Dali’s origin lies in Algeria, where her parents were born, but escaped after war broke out. Dali’s mother, Yamina, is a cancer survivor whose story Kenza shared in 2019.
The French midfielder Kenza Dali’s love for soccer began because of her cousin. The midfielder was scouted by Lyon at 14 and played for their senior team in 2009.
Kenza’s love for soccer has brought her from France to England. The veteran, who played the majority of her years at PSG, came to England in 2019 when she joined West Ham United.
The Aston Villa player isn’t the only one in the French National team to belong to a North African background.
Sakina Karchaoui, and Amel Majri, are the two other players in the current French squad eyeing World Cup glory who come from North African roots.
Kenza Dali Origine & Parents
Kenza Dali has roots in Algeria, thanks to her father. The French soccer player’s father escaped Algeria during a war at 18. Her mother, Yamina, also has Algerian roots.
At the time, Kenza’s dad didn’t know how to read or write but did everything to help his family lead a happy life. The Dali family settled in Sainte-Colombe, not a city with the best influence, and her family was affected by it.
Her older brother, Cali, lost his life due to gang-ridden crimes at age 21. Two months after her brother’s death, her mom, Yamina, was diagnosed with cancer.
In her interview, Kenza said there were times she would wish it was her who was affected by the disease, not her mother. The French midfielder said no child would want to see their mother in pain, and thankfully her older sister shielded her from everything.
Kenza Dali only opened up about her mother’s battle with cancer in 2019. In an interview with The Guardian, the soccer player said she felt inspired after Stella Maher, a Breast Cancer Care volunteer, and survivor, visited her club West Ham to open up about her story.
Dali took her mother’s permission whether she could tell her survival story. Yamina not only gave the permission but said this could inspire her fans who might be going through the same.
Dali recalls her mother being very positive during the entire diagnosis. She would say, “I will heal. This is not going to take my life.” And Yamina was correct.
Her parents keep themselves away from social media, and her older sister Sabrina does the same. Dali has also never shared any posts about her family on Instagram.
Kenza Dali Playing Career So Far
Kenza Dali’s love for soccer began when she was five after she started attending soccer games with her cousin.
Dali played with the boys until she was 15, and after that, she was forced to join a girl’s team. The French soccer club Lyon showed interest in her, and she was integrated into their youth system.
She played one season with Lyon in her senior year and later joined PSG, where she reached the Champions League final for the first time. And despite losing to Frankfurt in the finals, Kenza said playing in the CL final was her best memory with PSG.
Kenza made 89 appearances at PSG, scoring 36 goals before moving to England to join West Ham United. When asked why she moved to England, Kenza said she wanted more of a challenge in her career.
At West Ham, Kenza starred in 32 games, scoring five goals, before she left for Everton. She played one season in Everton and joined Aston Villa last season.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Kenza said one of the reasons she joined Aston Villa was because of teammate Rachel Daly. The pair constantly texted each other back and forth about whether they would join the English club.
Both have found great success at Aston Villa, who finished fifth last season. Daly even won the Women’s Super League Golden Boot last season after scoring 22 goals.
