ZINEDINE ZIDANE (ZIZOU): ONE OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME- BIOGRAPHY, ACHIEVEMENTS, RECORDS AND CAREERS

 

EARLY LIFE CAREER: 

Zinedine Yazid Zidane was born on 23 June 1972 in Castellane, Marseille,  in southern France. He is the youngest of five siblings. Zidane is an Algerian Kabyle origin and has described himself as a "non-practicing Muslim". His parents, Smaïl and Malika, settled in Paris the village of Aguemoune in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylie in northern Algeria in 1953 before the Algerian war started. The family, which has settled in the city's tough northern territory of Barbés and Saint-Denis, found small work in the districts, and in the mid-1960s moved to the northern Marseille countryside of La Castellane in the 16th arrondissement of Marseille. 

In an interview with Esquire magazine, he said: I have an affinity with the Arabic world. I have it in my blood, via my parents. I'm very proud of being French, but also very proud of having these roots and this diversity. 

His Father used to work in a warehouse and as a security guard at a department store, usually on the night shift, while his mother was a housewife. The family lived a thoughtfully comfortable life by the standards of the neighborhood, which was well-known throughout Marseille for its high crime and unemployment rates. Zidane credits his tough upbringing and his Father as the "guiding light" in his life. 

It was in Castellane where Zidane had his earliest introduction to football, joining in at the age of five years of football games that the area's children played on the Place Tartane, an 80-by-12-yard plaza that served as the main square of the housing complex. on July 2011, Zidane named former Marseille players Blaz Sliskovic, Enzo Francescoli, and Jean-Pierre Papin as his idols when he was growing up. 

When he was 10 years, Zidane got his first player's license after joining the junior team of US Saint-Henri. He spent a year and a half at Sanit-Henri, Zidane later joined So Septémes-Les-Vallons when the Septémes coach Robert Centenero assured the club's director to get Zidane. Zidane played with Septémes until the age of 14 years,  at the time he was selected to go to a three-day training camp at the CREPS (Regional Centre For Sports And Physical Education) in Aix-en-Provence, one of several such footballing institutes run by the French football federation. 

It was here that Zidane got the attention of AS Cannes scout and former player Jean Varrnd, who suggested him to the training center director of the club. As a 14-year-old watching the 1986 world cup, the performance of Diego Maradona left and memorable symbol on him, with Zidane stating Maradona "was on another level". 

CLUB CAREER: AS CANNES 

"He'd go past one, two,  three, five,  six, players- it was sublime. His feet spoke with the ball"- Jean Varrand, a former player who discovered Zidane. 

Zidane went to AC Cannes to stay for six-week but ended up remaining for four years to play at the higher level. Having left his family to join Cannes, he was called by the Cannes director Jean-Claude Elineau to leave the camp and come and stay with him and his family. Zidane later said that while living with the Elineaus he found stability. During his time with Cannes, Zidane's first coach noticed that he was raw and sensitive, prone to attack fans who insulted his race and family.His first coach, Jean Varrand, told him to channel his anger and considerate on his own game. Zidane spent his first weeks at Cannes mainly on punishment for punching an opponent who insulted him about his ghetto origins.

 Zidane made his professional debut for Cannes on May 18 1989 in a French Division 1 match over Nantes, he netted his first goal for Cannes on 10 February 1991 also over Nantes in a 2-1 victory. After the match during a party for all the club's players, Zidane was given a car by Cannes chairman Alain Pedretti, which he promised Zidane on the day he scored his first goal for the club. On the pitch, Zidane displayed exceptional technique with the ball, offering glimpases of the talent that would take him to the top of the world game. In his first full season with the club, the club captured its first ever European football berth by qualifying for the UEFA Cup after ending fourth in the league. This remains the Club's highest end in the top flight since getting relegated for the first time from the first Division in the 1948/49 season.

BORDEAUX:

Zidane was transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1992/93 season, winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup after defeating Karlsruhe and ending runner-up over Bayern Munich in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup. During his four years with the club. He played as a midfielder together with Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, which would become the symbol of both Bordeaux and the 1998 French national team.

In 1995, Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish had expressed his interest in signing both Dugarry and Zidane, and the club owner Jack Walker reportedly replied, "why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?". Also towards the starting of the 1996 season, according to football agent Barry Silkman, Zidane was offered to Newcastle United for £1.2 million, but the club later withdraw the offer after watching him, claiming that he was not good enough for the English first Division. In 1996, Zidane received the award for Ligue 1 player of the year.

JUVENTUS:

"He is a special player. He creates space where there is none. No matter where he gets the ball or how it comes to him, he can get out of trouble. His imagination and his technique are amazing" - Juventus teammate Edgar David's on Zidane's ability.

After a series of stand out performances for both Bordeaux and France, Zidane got many offers to join Europe's big clubs in the spring of 1996, he decided to join UEFA Champions League winners Juventus during the close season. Zidane's impact in Italy was immediate, winning the 1996/97 Serie A title and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup. He was named Serie A foreign Footballer of the year in his first season.

Zidane's amazing performances in the game saw him selected in an European XI to face a World XI that a forward line of Ronaldo and Gabriel Batistuta in December 1997. Being the deep playmaker at Juventus, Zidane played just behind forward Alessandro Del Piero, with Del Piero remembering, "Zidane had an extraordinary talent, which contributed to his individual interest in helping the team. He was not a selfish player. He had an exceptional ability to be a great and to be a team player. I was lucky to play with him".

He lost in the 1997 UEFA Champions League final 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund when he was unable to make an impact against the close marking of Paul Lambert. The following season, Zidane netted 7 goals in 32 games played in the League to help Juventus win the 1997/98 Serie A and thus retain the Scudetto. In Europe, Juventus made their third consecutive UEFA Champions League final appearance, but lost the game 1-0 to Real Madrid. 

In 1998, Zidane was named FIFA world Player of the year, and won the Ballon d'Or Award. Juventus ended second in the 2000/01 Serie A, but were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League, after Zidane was banned for head-butting Hamburger Sv player Jochen Kientz. In 2001, Zidane was named Serie A foreign footballer of the year for the second time.

REAL MADRID:

In 2001, Zidane joined Real for a world record fee of 150 billion Italian lire, (about €77.5 million by fixed exchange rate; a reported 12.8 billion pesetas) in payments, and signed a four-years contract. The newest addition to the Galácticos era of global stars signed by Real Madrid every year, in his first season at the club Zidane netted a popular match-winning goal, a volley hit with his left foot from the edge of the 18-yard box, in Madri's 2-1 victory against Bayern Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final. The goal has been considered as one of the greatest in Champions League history.The greatness of the strike saw Zidane produce one of his most emotional goal celebrations as he ran towards the touchline with his mouth wide open, shouting in delight. 

" He dorminates the ball, he is a walking spectacle and he plays as if he had silk gloves on each foot. He makes it worthwhile going to the stadium- he's one of the best I have ever seen". - Alfredo Di Stéfano on Zidane after he was named world player of the year in 2003.

The following season, Zidane helped Real Madrid to win the 2002/03 La Liga, playing alongside Luís Figo in the Midfield, and was named the FIFA World Player of the year for the third time. In 2004, fans voted Zidane as the best European Footballer Of The previous 50 years in UEFA's fiftieth anniversary  Golden Jubilee poll. While Zidane's final season of club football finished without a trophy, he enjoyed success on an individual note by netting his first hat-trick, over Sevilla, in a 4-2 victory in January 2006.

He finished the season for Real Madrid as their second top goal scorer and assists provider behind teammates Ronaldo and David Beckham respectively, with nine goals and ten assists in 28 matches. On 7 May 2006, Zidane, who had announced his plans to retire after the 2006 world cup, played his farewell game and netted in a 3-3 draw with Villarreal . The squad wore commemorative shirt with ZIDANE 2001-2006 below the club logo. The 80,000 fans inside Santiago Bernabéu held up a banner reading, " Thanks for the magic ".  In 2021, Zidane played for Madrid in an All Star match over Manchester United which ended a 3-2 victory for Madrid. In April 2013, he was named by Marca as a member of the " Best Foreign Eleven In Real Madrid History.

INTERNATIONAL CAREER:

Both France and Algeria regard Zidane as a citizen. It was rumored that Algerian coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied Zidane a position in their team squad, because he thought that the young Midfielder was not good enough. However, Zidane declined the rumour in an interview in 2005, commenting that he would have been disqualify to play for Algeria because he had already played for France.

Zidane was among the France U-21 squad that captured the bronze medal at the 1993 Mediterranean Games in Languedoc-Roussillon. He earned his first cap with France as a substitute in a friendly game over the Czech Republic on 17 August 1994, which finished in a 2-2 draw after Zidane netted twice to help France erase a 2-0 loss. After Eric Cantona was handed a year-long suspension in January 1995 for charging over a fan, Zidane took over the playmaker position.

EURO 1996:

Regardless he did not perform as expected in the competition, France reached the semi-final. Zidane was not yet fully settled in the French team and his level was quite moderate during the whole event, but he managed to net in the penalty shootout in both the quarter-final and semi-final. France was knocked out in the Euro 96 last-four in a penalty shootout over he Czech Republic.

1998 WORLD CUP:

The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the first world cup that Zidane played; the competition was hosted by his home country France. The French team won all three matches in the group stage, with Zidane organizing Christophe Dugarry's goal in the opening game over South Africa from a corner, and contributing to Thierry Henry's opening goal in the second game over Saudi Arabia, however, Zidane was sent off in the latter game for a stamp on Fuad Anwar.

Without their playmaker on the pitch, France went on to win 1-0 in the round of sixteen game over Paraguay and, on his return to the side, defeated Italy 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the quarter-finals, with Zidane scoring the first spot kick in the shoot out France then defeated Croatia 2-1 in the semi-final.  Although Zidane had played a role in the team's achievements, he had yet to net a goal at the world cup.

Zidane and France went on to play over defending champions and favourites Brazil at Stade de France in the 1998 FIFA world cup final. France took control of the game from the kick-off, with Zidane netting two similar goals, both headers from corner kicks taken by Emmanuel Petit and Youri Djorkaeff. Courtesy of Zidane's two goals, France went into the half-time break 2-0 up with one hand on the world cup trophy.

Petit toped the third goal deep in stoppage time to seal the 3-0 victory and France first world cup. Named man of the match, Zidane became an instant national hero and would receive the legion of Honour later that year.

EURO 2000:

Two years later France won Euro 2000, and became the first team to hold both the world cup and the European Championship since West Germany did so in 1974. Zidane ended with two goals, a curving free kick over Spain in the quarter-final and the golden goal in the semi-final against Portugal with a penalty. UEFA named Zidane player of the competition.

Zidane himself believes he was at his best during the competition, while the UEFA website States, " In Belgium and the Netherlands, Zidane dominated a major Championship in a way no individual had managed since Diego Maradona in 1986 FIFA world cup. From the opening match over Denmark to the final against Italy, 'Zizou' shone brightly, spell blinding his opponents with slaloming runs, mesmerizing step overs, clever flicks, and masterful vision.

2002 WORLD CUP:

 As supreme World and European Champions, France went to the 2002 world cup in Japan/Korea as favourites but a shin injury sustained in a warm up before the competition hindered Zidane from playing in France's first two games and without their playmaker, the team failed to score in either games.

He was rushed back not fully recovered for the third match despite not being fully fit, but could not hinder France from being knocked out in the group stage without netting a single goal; the worst performance by a defending champions in the history of world cup.

EURO 2004:

During the Euro 2004, France topped their group with wins against England and Switzerland, before being eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Greece in a shocking 1-0 loss. In the opening game over England, Zidane netted from a free kick and penalty in stoppage time to turn impending defeat into a 2-1 win. After France's elimination, Zidane announced his retirement from international Football.

2006 WORLD CUP:

What I am going to say may sound over the top, but it's truth. God exists and he has returned to the France team. Thierry Henry, on Zidane return.

With the retirement of many great players such as Claude Makélélé, Lilian Thuram, Bixente Lizarazu, and Marcel Desailly, France found it difficult to qualify for the 2006 world cup. At the urging of coach Raymond Domenech, Zidane came out of retirement and was straight away reinstated as the team captain. Zidane, along with Thuram and Makélélé, made his competitive return for France in a 3-0 victory against the Faroe Islands on 3 September 2005.

The threesome helped France rise from fourth place to win their qualifying group. On 27 May 2006, Zidane earned his hundredth cap for France in a 1-0 friendly victory over Mexico, in what would be his last game at the Stade de France. Zidane became France's fourth player to reach 100 caps, after Desailly, Thuram and Didier Deschamps. 

France had a reluctant start to the 2006 finals and, after being suspended for the third match of the group stage, Zidane came back to set up a goal for Patrick Vieira and net one himself in the second round game against Spain. In the quarter-final France held Brazil to just one shot on goal in the rematch of the 1998 final.

Zidan assisted Thierry Henry's crucial goal and was named man of the match by FIFA. France battled with Portugal in the semi-final and, as in Brussels six years earlier, Zidane's penalty kick decided the contest and sent France to another major final. Having already made it official that he was to retire after the expiration of his Real Madrid contract at the end of the 2005/06 season, the world of football already knew Zidane's second world cup final was to be the last game of his career.

Seven minutes into the 2006 world cup final in Berlin, Zidane put France ahead with a panenka-style penalty kick which hit the crossbar and bounce just over the goal line to became only the fourth player in world cup history to net in two different finals, along with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá, in addition to being tied for first place with Vavá, Pelé and Geoff Hurst with three world cup final goals apiece.

He almost netted the second goal during the first half of extra time but his header was saved by Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Zidane was sent off in the 110th minutes of the match after head-butting Marco Materazzi at the chest, so he was not featured in the penalty shootout which Italy won 5-3. This marked the 14th overall removal of Zidane's career, and joined him with Cameroon's Rigobert Song as it only players ever to be sent off during two separate world cup competition.

He also became the fourth player that was given a red card in a world cup final, in addition to being the first sent off in extra period, Zidane's actions made headlines all over the world, while in France Le Figaro called his head-butt "Odious", and the front page of L'Equipe asked, "what should we tell our children, for whom you have become an example for ever?... How could that happen to a man Iike you?

Zidane had received accolades for his performances during the competition, with Pep Guardiola writing he exerts so much influence on the team that "France are never disorganised". The day after the final, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as the player of the competition. 

"The match you played last night was full of talent. I know that you are sad and disappointed but what I want to tell you is that the whole country is proud of you. You have honoured the country with you unique qualities and your incredible fighting spirit, which was your strength in challenging times, but also in winning times". - president of France Jacques Chirac, pays tribute to Zidane in Paris after the 2006 world cup.

Upon his return to France, the place de La Concorde in Paris was filled with thousands of fans waving flags and elegantly chanting "Zizou! Zizou!", and tributes where led by the French president Jacques Chirac. Chirac's sayings reflected the feeling of the French public, with polls done in the straight away wake of the incident showing support for Zidane: 61% of French people stated they had forgiven him for his acts while 52% said they understood them.

According to French journalist Philippe Auclair, Zidane's performances in the knock out rounds were " ranked among is finest in France shirt". As the player of the competition, Zidane had given the team hope, with the France daily newspaper Libération stating, " for a month, France were dreaming with Zidane". Zidane remained a superstar to the French public, and one French writer said, " it's good for us to see our national hero is fallible".

It was later disclosed through interviews that Marco Materazzi had insulted Zidane's sister, which led to Zidane's reaction. In 2010, Zidane stated that he would " rather die than apologize" to Materazzi for the head-butt in the final, but also acknowledged that he " could never have lived with himself" had he been allowed to stay on the pitch and help France win the game.

He later stated, " if you look at the fourtheen red cards I had in my career, twelve of them were a result of annoyance. This isn't an  excuse, by my passion, temper and blood made me do so.

Following his red card in the final, Zidane retired from professional Football and proved that he would not go back on his decision. He was sentenced by FIFA to a three match suspension for the red card. He agreed to complete three day of community service with children in one of FIFA's beneficent projects. Zidane finished up trying with Brazil's Cafu for the record for Most cards given in world cup matches, with six. 

ACHIEVEMENTS WITH BORDEAUX:

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1995

UEFA Cup runner-up: 1995/96

ACHIEVEMENTS WITH JUVENTUS:

Serie A: 1996/97, 1997/98

Supercoppa Italiana: 1997

UEFA Super Cup: 1996

Intercontinental Cup: 1996

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999

UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1996/97, 1997/98

ACHIEVEMENTS WITH REAL MADRID:

La Liga: 2002/03

Super Copa de España: 2001, 2003

UEFA Champions League: 2001/02

UEFA Super Cup: 2002

Intercontinental Cup: 2002

ACHIEVEMENTS WITH FRANCE:

FIFA World Cup: 1998; runner-up: 2006

UEFA European Championship: 2000

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS:

French Division 1 Young Player Of The Year: 1993/94

French Division 1 Player Of The Year: 1995/96

Serie A Foreign Footballer Of The Year: 1996/97, 2000/01

Ballon d'Or: Bronze Award 1997

FIFA World Player Of The Year: Bronze Award 1997, 2002

Onze d'Argent: 1997, 2002, 2003

FIFA XI: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002

ESM Team Of The Year: 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04

UEFA Club Midfielder Of The Year: 1998

L'Equipe International Champion Of Champions: 1998

L'Equipe France Champion Of Champions: 1998

FIFA World Cup All-star Team: 1998, 2006

World Soccer Awards Player Of The Year: 1998

France Football French Player Of The Year: 1998, 2002

Onze d'Or: 1998, 2000, 2001

Ballon d'Or: 1998

FIFA World Player Of The Year: 1998, 2000, 2003

EL País European Player Of The Year: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003

Onze de Bronze: 1999

World Soccer's Selection Of The 100 Greatest Footballers Of The 20th Century: 1999

2nd French player Of The Century (France Football): 2000

Ballon d'Or: Silver Award 2000

UEFA European Championship Player Of The Tournament: 2000

UEFA European Championship Team Of The Tournament: 2002, 2004

Serie A Top Assist Provider: 2000/01

Serie A Footballer Of The Year: 2000/01

UEFA Team Of The Year: 2001, 2002, 2003

Don Balón Award: 2001/02

La Liga Best Foreign Player: 2001/02

UEFA Club Footballer Of The Year: 2002

FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2002

FIFA 100: 2004

UEFA Best European Player Of The Past 50 Years: 2004

FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006

IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 2006

FIFA World Cup Golden Ball:2006

FIFA World Player Of The Year: Silver Award 2006

UNFP Honorary Award: 2007

AFS Top-100 Players Of All Time #5: 2007

Marca Leyenda Award: 2008

Golden Foot Legends Award: 2008

ESPN Team Of The Decade: 2009

ESPN Player Of The Decade: 2009

FOX Sports Player Of The Decade: 2009

Sports Illustrated Team Of The Decade: 2009

Sports Illustrated Player Of The Decade: 2009

Don Balón Team Of The Decade: 2010

Don Balón Player Of The Decade: 2010

Laureus Lifetime Achivments Award: 2011

UEFA Team Of Teams: 2011

UEFA Champions League Best Player Of The Past 20 Years: 2011

E'quipe Type Spéciale 20 Ans Des Trophies Unfp: 2011

Real Madrid Greatest XI Of All Time: 2012

World Soccer Greatest XI Of All Time: 2013

Real Madrid Hall Of Fame: 2014

UEFA Ultimate Team Of The Year (Substitute): 2015

IFFHS Legends: 2016

FourFourTwo's Selection Of The 100 Greatest Footballers Of All Time #8: 2017

Juventus Greatest XI Of All Time: 2017

L'Équipe Best French Player Of All Time: 2018

Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver:): 2020

IFFHS All-Time Men's B Dream Team: 2021

FourFourTwo's 100 Best Football Players Of All Time #5: 2022

Italian Football Hall Of Fame: 2022

RECORDS:

The Most Expensive Footballer In History 2001-2009

Most FIFA World Cup Final Matches Scored In: 2 Matches (shared with Pelé, Vavá, Paul Breitner, and Kylian Mbappe)

Most Red Cards Received In FIFA World Cup Matches: 2 (shared with Rigobert Song)

Midfielder With The Most Appearances In The ESM Team Of The Season

One Of The Two Players In History To Be Named Player Of The Year 3 Of The Top 5 Leagues: Division 1 Player Of The Year (1996), Serie A Footballer Of The Year ( 2001), Don Balón Award (2002)

Only Player In History To Win The World Cup And The European Championship While Being Named Best Player Of Both Competitions

Most Onze d'Or Award: 7 In Total (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)

Most FIFA world Player Of The Year Awards: 6 In Total