Zinedine Zidane
Zinédine Yazid Zidane (born June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France), nicknamed Zizou, is a French football player for Real Madrid and formerly France. He is a Muslim of Algerian Kabyle Berber ethnic origin. Through his status as a prominent Frenchman of Maghrebi descent, he promotes racial and religious tolerance, especially among the youth.
Zidane was a member of the French football team in
, which France won, scoring two goals in the final against Brazil. Two years later, he led his country to a second major championship, winning Template:Ec2. He has been elected three times as FIFA World Player of the Year (1998, 2000, 2003). Zidane is often considered to be the best footballer in the world, and perhaps one of the most talented players of all time. An elegant dribbler of the ball, Zidane's passing ability and perfect balance make him one of the best playmakers in the world and the natural successor of France's Michel Platini.
In 2001 Zidane transferred from Italian team Juventus to Spanish club side Real Madrid on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was US$64.45 million, making him the most expensive player in football history. While Zidane initially took a while to settle in among the superstars of Madrid, the season culminated in him helping Madrid and scoring the winning goal with a fantastic volley in a 2-1 win over the German team Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 Champions League Final.
Injuries prevented him from reprising his 1998 performance in the
. France's defence of their trophy was one of the most unsuccessful in World Cup history, the team being eliminated in the First Round without scoring a single goal.
Zidane is well-liked in France, and is known to be a modest, quiet, even to the point of being shy, footballer. He is married to a French woman of Spanish descent and has three children. As a Guardian feature article says, however, Zidane has also occasional flashes of aggression on the pitch.
In 2004, Zidane was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In 2004, he was also voted the best European player for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.
He was an Athens 2004 Torchbearer. On August 12, 2004 Zidane retired from international football. He announced on February 4 2005 that he would retire from the game at the end of his current contract with Real Madrid, at the end of the 2006/07 season.
In an interview he declared that when he was a teenager, Zidane admired Olympique de Marseille's Uruguayan striker Enzo Francescoli. He once was a ballboy at a match with Francescoli and thus saw him up close.
In 2004, Zinédine Zidane was appointed as "Chevalier" (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur by French President Jacques Chirac.
On August 3, 2005 Zidane decided to come out international retirement to come back for Les Bleus. He stated on his official website: "I have gone back on my decision, one year after I said it was categorical." On the same day French teammate and Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele, who also quit the French team following [[Euro 2004], said he wants to come out of international retirement as well.
Clubs
- AS Cannes (1988-1992)
- Bordeaux (1992-1996)
- Juventus (July 1996 - July 2001)
- Real Madrid (July 2001 - present)
- France national football team (1994-2004)
Honours
With the French national team:
- FIFA World Cup
- Winner: 1998
- Appearances: 1998, 2002
- European Championship
- Winner: 2000
- Appearances: 1996, 2000, 2004
With Juventus:
- European Super Cup: 1996
- Intercontinental Cup: 1996
- Serie A champions: 1996/1997, 1997/1998
- Italian Super Cup: 1997
With Real Madrid:
- UEFA Champions League: 2001/2002
- European Super Cup: 2002
- Intercontinental Cup: 2002
- Spanish League - La Liga champions: 2002/2003
Personal honours:
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2003
- European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or): 1998
Merchandising
Zinedine Zidane was sponsored by LEGO for a while and wore their logo. He was the official endorser of their Soccer/Football line (name varied to "correct" one depending on the country it was being marketed in), and was also immortalised in plastic in the form of a LEGO minifigure of himself, available in several of the sets.
External link
- zidane.net - official website (in French and Spanish)
- Zidane.com.ar - pictures, profile, biography and titles
- LEGO's Soccer/Football line (note that not all of these sets contain the Zinedine Zidane minifigure)