Gedion Zelalem (born January 26, 1997) is a professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club New Mexico United.
[12] Arsenal scout Danny Karbassiyoon discovered Zelalem in the United States playing for Olney Rangers during a Dallas Cup match.
[13] His début for the under-21 side came against Liverpool U21 that month, but was unable to prevent Arsenal slipping to a 3–2 defeat at Anfield; however, he drew praise for his performance.
[25] On January 24, 2014, Zelalem made his debut with Arsenal's senior squad, coming on as a substitute for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 71st minute of their 4–0 home FA Cup victory against Coventry City.
[26] Zelalem soon made his second appearance for Arsenal, coming on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half, in a 4–1 away win against Galatasaray in UEFA Champions League on December 9, 2014.
[29][30] He made his debut in a 5–0 win over Airdrieonians in the Scottish League Cup, setting up goals for Martyn Waghorn and James Tavernier.
[31] He played in 21 Championship matches, helping Rangers clinch the second-tier title,[32][33] and was an unused substitute as they beat Peterhead 4–0 to win the 2015–16 Scottish Challenge Cup.
Zelalem converted a penalty in the shootout to help his club progress to the final,[35] and started in that match, which Rangers lost 3–2 to Hibernian.
[36] On January 24, 2017, Zelalem signed a contract extension with Arsenal and accepted a loan move to Dutch second-tier club VVV-Venlo, lasting until the end of the season.
[38][39] After no first team appearances at Arsenal upon returning in 2017,[40] Zelalem joined Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City for free on March 10, 2019.
[47] Prior to making his one-time switch to the United States, Zelalem was eligible to represent Ethiopia internationally, due to his parents' nationality.
[51] Zelalem began training with the United States under-15 side in 2012, but was unable to play in matches at that time due to being classified as a permanent resident, but not yet a U.S.