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A BLAST FROM THE PAST
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Zinedine Zidane Full name: Zinedine Yazid Zidane Date of birth: 23/06/1972 According to the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll in 2004 Zinedine ‘Zizou’ Zidane is the greatest European footballer of the past 50 years. His accolades are countless, his talents are immeasurable, his legendary status is undeniable, his wealth is record-breaking and his name actually means ‘an overabundance of talent’. Zidane will go down as one of the greatest talents ever to play the game but his memory will stretch beyond that of the pitch. His fiery temperament was perhaps the hottest the game has ever seen. Shown the red card 14 times in his career and most memorably in the World Cup Final in 2006, Zidane played with so much passion that it often engulfed him. There is no doubt that he is one of the greatest players ever. The goals that he scored and the countless with which he assisted have never been more valuable to the teams that he played for. The Early Days of Club Football Born in Marseille in 1972, Zinedine was the youngest of five children born to his parents Ismail and Malika, who were Algerians who found refuge in France. His upbringing was hard and, as immigrants, his family often had to be strong to survive. This tough attitude eventually permeated onto the football pitch. Zidane’s first club was La Castellane in Marseille. At only 14 he caught the eye of nearby team scout from AS Cannes, Jean Varraud. He quickly settled in at Cannes and at 17 he was granted his full debut. His first goal came for Cannes in 1991 and he helped the club to the UEFA cup tournament. It wasn’t long though before the bigger clubs spotted a rapidly emerging talent.
Before he signed for FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Zidane fell in love with Veronique, a Spanish dancer. They would go on to marry and have four sons together. He spent four brilliant years at Bordeaux, at one point nearly being signed by Kenny Dalgleish and Blackburn Rovers, but it was to be the Italian giants Juventus who would poach the ever-improving attacking midfielder in 1996, for what would be a bargain £3 million. The Italian Job Juventus and the entire Italian Serie A league had no idea what was coming with Zidane. The Juventus coach Marcello Lippi built an indestructible team, with Zidane at the helm, and the Frenchman would help the club win two league titles and reach two UEFA Champions League finals. In 1998 he was granted the Fifa World Player of the Year Award. Viva Espana It was only a matter of time before the club that gets everyone they want, Real Madrid, nabbed Zidane too. It wouldn’t happen without a record being broken though. In 2001
Zidane left Juventus and joined Real Madrid for a whopping £45.6 million, which remains the highest football transfer fee ever. They certainly got their money’s worth though. The team were full of the world’s best players (Raul, Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Beckham, Owen). Whilst at Madrid, Zidane helped them win the Spanish League in 2001/02 and the Champions League in the same year. His winning goal in that final will go down as one of the greatest goals ever scored. France His first cap came in 1994 in a friendly against the Czech Republic and, from the outset, he exploded onto the scene by scoring two goals to draw the game 2-2. In Euro 96, France reached the semi-finals but lost on penalties. Their strength with Zidane was growing and that strength would soon annihilate everyone in their path in the 1998 World Cup. Germany 2006 and the World Cup final ended in controversy when Zidane was sent off for a headbutt on Marco Materatzzi, leaving him walking past the World Cup trophy. It was his last ever game.
Career Appearances: 502 International Caps: 108 Goals: 126 Career Highlight: Voted best European footballer of the past 50 years