Mohamed Zouaoui

Personal information
Date of birth	1896
Place of birth	Damascus, Syria
Date of death	31 March 1978
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1919–c. 1931	Espérance
Managerial career
1925	Espérance (president)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mohamed Zouaoui (1896 – 31 March 1978) was a notable figure in Tunisian football. He was a co-founder of the club Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) and played for them for 12 years.

Born in 1896 in Damascus^[1] to a family of Kabyle origin,^[2] Zouaoui studied at a madrasa as his father opposed him learning French, the language of the colonizers.^[1] In 1903, he pursued his studies in Halfaouine, then from 1916 to 1918, he attended the Zitouna Mosque. However, he abandoned his studies and became an apprentice shoemaker in Souk El Blaghgia.^[1]

As a co-founder of Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) in 1919,^[3] Zouaoui initially served as vice-president in the club's first executive board. Later, with Louis Montassier's appointment as president, Zouaoui became a regular board member, despite his initial reluctance to be part of a committee led by a French national.^[1] Zouaoui played for EST for 12 years and briefly held a symbolic leadership role for a few weeks in 1925 to fill the vacancy left by Chedly Zouiten, who had traveled to France to study medicine.^[4]

In 1928, Zouaoui became a merchant in Lafayette before working for a major trader in Souk El Attarine. From 1935, he was employed at Nhas store in North Africa and later co-managed a fruit business until 1958.^[1]

He remained single throughout his life and dedicated himself to raising eight children left behind by one of his deceased relatives.^[1] He died on 31 March 1978.^[4]