The Story Of The Footballer Who Risked It All At The End Of His Career

Zinedine zidan is the name that comes to everyone's mind when there is a discussion about the greatest midfielders of all time he seems to be in the league above everyone else but do we know the full story of Zinedine zidan from his rapid development in Juventus to his unmatched influence in the French national team from his numerous achievements as a player to one of the Greatest coach football has ever seen this is the story of zinedin zadan the greatest Maestro football has ever seen [Music] H into the penalty area towards sedan sedan here zinedin yazed

zidan was born on the 23rd of June 1972 in La calan mares in southern France he is the youngest of five siblings zidan is of Algerian cabil descent and has described himself as a Non-practicing Muslim his parents smile and Malika immigrated to Paris from the village of agamon in the Berber speaking region of cabier in Northern Algeria in 19 1953 before the start of the Algerian War the family which had settled in the city's tough Northern districts of barbet and St Dennis found little work in the region and in the mid 1960s moved to the

northern Marseilles suburb of La castellan in the 16th arisman of Marseilles it was in castellan where Zidan had his earliest introduction in football joining in at the age of five in football games that the neighborhood's children played on the place Tartan in July of 2011 zidan named former Marseilles players blash Sliskovich Enzo Franchesco and jeanpierre Pen as his idols while growing up at the age of 10 zadan got his first players license after joining the junior team of a local Club from castellan by the name of Us St HRI after Spending a year and a

half at Us St HRI zadan joined s so sepm Leone when the septem coach Robert sanero convinced the club's director to get zidan zidan stayed with septem until the age of 14 at which time he was selected to attend a 3-day training camp at the creps or Regional Center for sports and physical education in AUM provent one of several such footballing institutes run by the footballing institutes run by the French Football Federation it was here that Zidan was spotted by as can scout and former player Jean varud who recommended him to the training center director

of the club as a 14-year-old watching the 1986 World Cup the performance of Diego maradon left an indelible mark on him with zadan stating maradon was on another level zidan's official footballing career started with as can he went there for a 6- week stay but ended up remaining at the club for 4 years to play at the professional level Having left his family to join can he was invited by K's director jeanclaude elino to leave the dormatory he had shared with 20 other trainees and come stay with him and his family zidan later said that

while living with eleno he found equilibrium it was at can where zidan's first coaches noticed that he was raw and sensitive prone to attack Spectators who insulted his race or family his first coach Jean VOD encouraged him to channel his anger and Focus on his own game zadan spent his first weeks at can's mainly on cleaning Duty as a punishment for punching an opponent who mocked his ghetto Origins the occasional violence that he would display throughout his career was shaped by an internal conflict of being an Algerian Frenchman suspended between cultures and surviving the tough

Streets of LA castellan where he grew up zidan made his professional debut with K on the 18th of May 1989 in a French Division 1 match against n he scored his first goal for the club on the 10th of February 1991 also against n in a 2-1 win after the match during a party for for all the can's players zidan was given a car by K's chairman Alan pedretti who had promised him one the day he scored his first goal for the club on the pitch zidan displayed extraordinary technique on the ball offering glimpses of

the talent that would take him to the top of the world Game in his first full season with K the club secured its first ever European football Birth by qualifying for the UEFA cup after finishing fourth in the league this Remains the club's highest finish in the Top Flight since getting relegated for the first time from the first division in the 1948 to 49 season it was obvious that K was not the right place for young Zinedine to develop that's why he was transferred to girondin de Bordeaux before joining them And stepping out onto the

training pitch at leyen at the outset of the 1992 1993 season Zinedine zadan was already familiar with the club in the 27th fixture for the 1990 1991 season the young man known to his parents as yazid lined up against Bordeaux at the state Municipal with asan a hardworking and ambitious young team from a club with a reputation for developing new Talent the game itself was not particularly memorable since it was just a draw one To one but zidan's performance alongside Eric G Jean frano Danielle and the legendary Luis Fernandez was enough to remind all watching

that he was one of France's brightest young footballing hopes against sonak lizar rozu and dugar zezy already got on well with dugga having played alongside him in the France youth teams the Marse born midfielder showed himself to be ideally suited to topf flight football consciously or not people were beginning To take note when fellow Marse native Roland kurb took over at Bordeaux shortly after the team won immediate promotion from the second division under jerau roor the Geron Dean decided to put on a bid for zizu Alain alalu and Jean d l were determined to keep

the club on its upward trajectory and win back the European standing that Bordeaux enjoyed before its legal and financial problems their ambition was to achieve a subtle Alchemy between Fire and Ice Youth and Experience talent and Competitive Edge naturally zadan was a perfect fit asan relegated to Second Division which caused them to sell off some key players key players included the duo of git and Daniel who made the jump to Bordeaux this was good news for young Zinedine still just 20 years of age who followed suit and finalized his own transfer tough luck for Bernard

tapi olympique de Marse who had also made an offer but were unlucky compared to Bordeaux as he Put it to the club's official magazine L culer zidan's ambition was to become a key player in the Reconstruction of this great Club expectations were high for this young virtuoso having been handed his Top Flight debut by Jean Fernandez back in 1989 he gradually became a stalwart of the can team that went all the way to the European competition as physically imposing as he was technically gifted Bordeaux fans were salivating at the idea of watching him Wreak havoc

inside the opposition box the man himself attempted to play Down the expectations I'm not an attacking midfielder my main strengths are winning the ball back and putting it in the right place Jean Charles Menard editor of the club magazine had a very different view of the matter in a subsequent editorial zadan joined our club with the firm intention of succeeding at the highest level after just two League games the xiron Dean's New midfielder has already won us over with his technical abilities and taken us by surprise with his defensive capacities too if he adds a

little more speed to his game he will be one of the best players in the league one of the very best a season or two from now but that's just my opinion as you can see H around young Zinedine was Unreal Bordeaux fans were expecting a lot from him however despite this pressure zidan was not lacking in confidence and he had The talent and ambition to match all he needed now was the recognition and agulation of Bordeaux fans who were becoming increasingly impatient and demanding with their Heroes zidan's Bordeaux debut came on the very first

day of the Season against Leon he started that day August 8th 1992 playing out a z00 draw his first goal came on his sixth appearance on September 12th at the state Felix beare and lens his goal sealed a 2-1 victory over RC Len One month for a first League goal from Midfield a good omen and he was only just getting started that season zidan scored 10 goals from 35 matches making him the 15th top scorer in the league and bordeaux's most prolific player in the front of gold Bordeaux finished that season in a very respectable

fourth place with 48 points just Five Points behind Champions olympi de Marseilles Bordeaux were back in Europe thanks to this defensive solidity and the new Attacking threat posed by zadan in his inaugural season with Bordeaux zizu effortlessly embodied the lofty promising label bestowed upon him as a new recruit it was a season marked by stability and glimpses of a future even brighter than the present zz's trajectory seemed destined for greatness even to everyone who witnessed his blend of innate talent and flare that characterizes true footballing Legends he was the kind of player who not only

Thrilled fans but also brought tangible victories to his team his magnetic presence on the field not not only captivated Spectators but also translated into increased attendance season ticket sales pay-per-view subscriptions and demand for executive box passes zizu perhaps unaware at the time was gradually becoming synonymous with success his remarkable skills including his exceptional touch unparalleled game reading ball handling Technique strategic marking mesmerizing dribbles precise control and Powerful free kicks were rapidly transforming him into an icon of French football this transformation was well deserved despite his youthful non shons zizu thrived both on and off the

pitch forming formidable Partnerships with teammates lizza and dugga together they dominated bordo's Left Flank rendering it an impenetrable force leaving opponents trembling in their cleats match after match even Though he seemed very calm and confident on the pitch his fiery temperament was starting to show by a cruel twist of fate his first sending off for Bordeaux came in a clash with their Arch Rivals Marseilles on September 19th 1993 at the vome Bordeaux suffered a stinging defeat of 3-1 and a dispute with Marcel Desa left a bitter taste for zadan however despite that the second season

looked very good for young zadan six goals and 34 matches in the first French division Two goals from six games in Europe plus three matches in the coupe to France as for the club that year Bordeaux finished fourth again with 46 points narrowly missing out on third place to AG Ur which was not really bad for this club the Geron Deans European campaign That season came to an end in the second knockout round against a Carl shreer SC team featuring Oliver Khan slaven bich and Wolf Gang Rolf but the team's ambition burned brighter than ever

zidan Occasionally had trouble playing the full 90 minutes and the home fans who did not know the full story sometimes whistled derisively not that that stopped him picking up the unfp award for the best young Player of the Year an award that he dedicated with typical class and generosity to his friend dugar Kristoff deserves this trophy just as much as I do or even more so despite a recurring h hamstring niggle which is why he played that deeper role and often Didn't finish games he worked selflessly to help the team shine at the end of

that season cororo was replaced by Antonio Jose con Sao Olivera better known as Tony who joined the club from SL Benfica off the back of a title winning season having won multiple titles with his hometown Club as both player and Coach he was supposed to bring a wealth of winning experience to Bordeaux however the Portuguese coach could not quite find the right formula Bemoaning the lack of confidence and consistency and hoping to overcome these obstacles with sheer hard work the elegant stylish zidan was now established as a man to watch which meant increasingly tight marking

and plenty of fouls to contend with these new constraints only serve to unleash his creativity and instinctive flare on the ball finding new and unexpected ways to slip his markers and put his genius to work for the team that season Bordeaux exited the UEFA cup one round earlier knocked out by GSK katav zzy shared the frustration of his teammates who had been hoping for a better showing in the Cup competitions they also went out in the last 16 of The League Cup and the quarterfinals of the coup to France even chatro and RC Strasburg which

were teams for the second division did better disappointment setbacks humiliation things were looking bad Bordeaux finished the season in seventh place Five Points a drift of European qualification in the year that saw the return of the three points for a win rule old rivals FC NT were crowned Champions zadan scored six goals in 37 league matches that year his lowest tally in his time at the club as well as one goal in Europe and one in the four coup to France the situation of the club was chaotic and problematic which resulted Tony getting sacked in

March after his team got thrashed in Monaco 63 With Eric gerit named as his surprise temporary replacement slub muslin a former player and manager of near neighbors FC po took over The Following Season the Serbian was tasked with rallying the troops and getting this talented Squad back on the right track and there was still a glimmer of hope although they missed out on Direct qualification for the UEFA cup they would still fall back on the inter Toto cup for some welcome International Experience not the most glamorous of competitions but a glimmer of hope nonetheless otherwise

known as the Mickey Mouse cup the inter Toto really did not have a good reputation among football fans there was still an opportunity to be seized here a chance to demonstrate the club's ambition win back their reputation and above all put the wasted previous season behind them zadan meanwhile was backfiring on all cylinders after some tough times over Recent months I've got my strength back and I think now I'm ready to take it to the next level and improve my game although it's not easy for me this is the first season I've played so many

matches he explained in 1994 as the matches really did begin to pile up with 3 years left on his contract and having shown himself to be more than capable of moving up to the next level the recently capped French International already had the 1998 World Cup in his sights as a Long-term goal in the meantime there was a European campaign to deal with the 199 5 1996 season started incredibly early with opponents much more motivated and competitive than the usual preseason Fair on July 1st 1995 IFK nor shoping traveled to park leore for the first

match of the enter Toto cup zizu scored two and new boy DDA tho got three on a Gala knife for the jonin 62 the following week the jonin traveled to Ireland to face Bohemian FC a 2 Victory With goals from zizu and duga he scored again a few days later against OB odens with another superb free kick in an emphatic 40 Victory the final match in the group stage was a draw with ajk Helsinki in Finland a minor stumble which did not stop Bordeaux finishing top of the group and qualifying for The Knockout stages that

meant a visit from inro Frankfurt swiftly displayed with a 30 victory which included another Sublime free kick from the Maestro the Quarterfinals beckoned and Bordeaux made short work of Dutch Sid Sport Club here in V meanwhile the J Deans got off to a flying start in French League 1 winning their first two games morale was running High aided by the fact that the team was little changed from last year the Midfield was really clicking with the Magic Triangle of liisa zizu dugga wreaking havoc on defenses up and down the land their short rapid incisive playing

style worked wonders due well Witch and Company also made a big contribution to this successful setup forming a tight-knit group with a warrior mentality this sense of confidence extended to the attacking line who were scoring for fun as Bordeaux approached their UFA Cup qualifying playoff with old enemies Carl Dreer SC the Jon Deans traveled to Baton wenberg for the first leg winning by two goals to nil in the gap between the two games zidan scored two against FC nand In a stylish 30- victory at the state Municipal the jines then slipped to a narrow defeat

in ginam 1 but that did not stop them from sealing the deal in the second leg against Carl Sher 22 a brace from Captain lizza and a red card for zizu it didn't matter Bordeaux were hot and zadan with five goals in eight games was on fire their UEFA cup campaign kicked off in Earnest on 14th of September with a 2 victory over Macedonian Champions FK vardar Scopia The return leg was a tame draw 1-1 zidan set out both encounters he also missed the two victories in the next round with home and Runway wins against

RoR vrad in October 2-1 and nil1 it was back in action for the next round against real Bettis on November 21st a 20-0 victory for the jiren in the fourth minute of the game he spotted the opposition keeper off his line and with mischa's calm fired off an Unstoppable lob that sailed past poor Pedro Le Yaro reguero Such a Brazen idea such precise execution a genuinely perfect goal Bordeaux went on to lose that game 2-1 but the job was done and they marched on to the next round now fans and players alike were beginning to

dream big and anything seemed possible in the second half of the season a strange Paradox while the jonan were on sparkling form in Europe They Were Somehow stuck in 16th Place out of 20 in the league worse still they were only five points above The relegation Zone with League Cup and CP to France games to think about too they rapidly crashed out of both domestic cups eliminated by lowly SC tulon in a game which lost muslin his job February 3rd 1996 was his last day in charge of the team jut raar a club Legend and

no stranger to caretaker period returned to take charge of a first team squad energized by its European exploits by struggling in the league some were beginning to talk of Relegation fears and then Bordeaux got drawn against the legendary AC Milan in the quarterfinals Milan were gunning for victory and had a squad stuffed with some of the best players in the world their quality shown through in the first leg at the sanso on March 5th where they won 2 Z Without Really breaking a sweat few observers gave zadan and Company much chance of overturning that advantage

in the the return leg they certainly had a mountain to climb but Still there was a chance relaxed but determined and guided by an old hand in the shape of Roar Bordeaux pulled off the seemingly Unthinkable they fought back to victory over AC Milan the same AC Milan that would go on to win series a That season for the 15th time in their history on March 19th the jonan played out of their skin in a country a city and a stadium that were pulsing with pure energy 3 n to Bordeaux graer a vaderi zizu had

the fans entranced Setting up two goals and generally tormenting Milan at every turn tholo and dugga twice fired Bordeaux through the semi-finals and into footballing lore we had nothing to lose we ended up making history he recalled some years later oh yes indeed it was the first great memory of a career which was to have so many starting with victory over SK slavia Prague in the semifinals with excitement still at Fever Pitch Bordeaux won the first leg in the Czech Republic 1 nil With zadan teeing up darari for the only goal of the game Bordeaux

repeated that feat in the return leg 1- n this time it was tho with the goal on April 16th leaving radic Babel Karen borski and Vladimir smeer in their wake the first European final of zidan's career had all the markings of a classic against no less an opponent than Bayern Munich the final was still played over two legs back then and both zadan and dugar were suspended for the first game in Bavaria Winning that leg 2- n on May 1st zizu and dugga were back for the return leg 2 weeks later but France Beck and

B's side rapidly seized control of the game and ran out 3-1 winners in a park sco which over the past few months had witnessed some of the most joyous moments in the club's history despite their exceptional talent and unbelievable hard work this Bordeaux Squad finally met their match in Munich the jiron Dan were proud of their Epic season but physically Exhausted Bayern lifted the trophy as sedan looked on forlornly nevertheless this was an adventure they would never forget things were less Rosy on the domestic front with Bordeaux finishing the season in 16th Place 42 points

just four points above FC gon in 18th the UEFA Cup Final would ultimately be the last time zadan played for Bordeaux with the club having finished in a disappointing 16th Place their European exertions perhaps taking their toll on Domestic form and zadan having cemented himself That season as one of the top talents not just in France he was named the League's player of the year that season despite bordeaux's travails but in Europe it was time to move on Juventus Came Calling making a 3.2 million pound bid for the playmaker that saw him following the footsteps

of national team Legend platini in pulling off the famous black and white stripes bordeaux's team was further broken up by The exits of duari who had sufficiently impressed AC Milan for them to sign him and lisar razu whose status as a basque made him irresistible to Athletic Club of Bilbo in the end again the three players achievements on the continental and international stages meant they had outgrown leer andan the Bordeaux of zidan lazaru and duari was well and truly over and zizu was about to embark on the second phase of his career in which he

would become a truly Global Superstar however he left behind a forward to his story that was full of excitement development memorable European Adventures and success against the odds The Wider world may have forgotten the first phase of zidan's career but you can be sure that support ERS of asan and FC girand de Bordeaux never will it might be very difficult to imagine today but French football was in a mess in the early 1990s The Glory Days Of platini on the field had long gone and the most famous French footballer of all time now occupied The

Dugout there was a promise of more presumed to be built around the shape of the Marseilles Squad who had brought a first European Cup to the country but even that seemed to be fading away a disastrous campaign had seen France fail to qualify for the 199 World Cup and while there were memorable moments in the European championships qualifying campaign a Couple of Victories against Spain which served to highlight the skills of Eric Canton and jeanpierre Pen Euro 92 offered little to the French by way of inspiration something was needed and while platini's assistant and eventual

replacement Gerard julier looked a safe Pair of Hands he also represented a continuation of a status quo that was getting France nowhere jula's final International straw at the end of the qualifying campaign for World Cup 1994 Might have been disastrous at the time but there was a well-established phrase about omelets and eggs and the French football team was about to get cracking Cantona was no platini however and the Manchester United Striker was never far away from controversy what was needed was a new attacking force a new spearhead and to that end one of the most

exciting teams in France was Bordeaux already from that side bente lizarazu who scored nine goals from Fullback in the 1993 94 season had made the Step Up there was more attacking prowess in the shape of kristofh duari and Zinedine zadan zadan had been around the French setup since 91 making his name for France in an under 21 side that contained a lot of names that would become a lot more familiar in 1998 be they Fabian bartez or Bruno and n goti and goti made his first full appearance for the French side in an August 994

friendly with the Czech Republic only The fledgely nation's fifth International match after their split from Slovakia by halftime he and fellow debutant liliam R were marshalling a new look 442 after jacet reorganized due to player shortages and the fact that checks were two goals to the good zidan's old teammate jagari had started the game but had struggled to produce alongside Cantona and liar rzu replaced another failed Creator David janola at halime the game still hadn't turned in France's Savior by the hour mark so jacet turned to zadan sending him on in place of kentin Martin

in front of his home crowd at the park leur 20 minutes later zidan had made his Mark he picked up a pass from Lauren Blanc surged forward avoided a couple of tackles and Unleashed a shot from 25 yards that riffled into the net a star was born the star was to rise even further a couple of minutes later when left unmarked from a corner he bulleted a header into the Net to equalize not a lot of people had realized that but the legend of France's national team was born that day however despite that zadan was

not given a more important role to the team since jaet decided to build his team around European Champions Marseilles D damp and Marse Desai were part of the spine of the team and with Cantona in the forward line joined by pepen who by now was showing his age the influence of the Southern Giants was creaking as 1994 Wore on Cantona was by now a hero at Manchester United and was attempting to Captain his country to a competition that would allow him the chance to Thrill the same supporters as he did at Club level he played

up front with Nicholas udek in the next qualifier a third nil nil in a row this time in Poland and while jacet was gaining plotted for the fact that his side was difficult to beat the lack of dynamism in attack was a definite problem for the Following year the French national team was poor and lacked results however everything changed with the visit of Slovakia to nant in April and everything changed predictably enough because of zidan that campaign proved to be very successful for France zidan's Excellence on the field ended up being the result that ensured

that France qualified for Euro 96 even so there were question marks over the squad albeit not in the zadan role in Euro 96 France managed to Reach the semi-finals of the competition while beating the tournament favorites Netherlands in the corner finals however they did not manage to beat Czech Republic in the semis and in the end Euro 96 might not have been France's tournament but having crossed the Channel with hope they returned with expectation in 2 years time they were to welcome the world and in the shape of zinedin zadan had a player who looked

like he might beat them The situation in Turin during summer of 1996 was very interesting even though they were extremely Satisfied by becoming European Champions for a second time the situation in the domestic League was not the best they lost the title against their old rivals AC Milan by a lot of margins the millanes had won the title by eight points which was a significant difference since the league had only 18 teams on it not only that the team captain and the leader of Midfield of the team Johan Luca viali was leaving the team so

the signing of young French Midfield Prodigy Zinedine zadan was a necessity for the team he took his place in the Juventus side that battle to an opening day 1-1 draw at regana on 8th of September by the time he scored his first League goal The Clincher in a 2 home win over rals enter Milan on 20th of October Juventus sat on top of the table zadan was regularly showing the sort of sublime skills and Ability on the ball that quelled any doubts his teammates might have held about the quiet Young Frenchman even though there was

very very tough competition zadan quickly became one of the most integral part of the team his confidence in his own ability and ability to show for and receive a pass despite being tightly marked really was speaking a lot about him he would always find a way to not only retain possession but pose a huge threat to opponents his Imagination and technique with the ball already virtually unmatched despite his relative inexperience at the top level of the game with zidan in Regal form defeats for Juventus became a very rare event an early season 21 defeat at

vincenza on the 13th of October 1996 would be their last League defeat of the calendar year the Capa Italia two-legged quarterfinal defeat to Inter Milan just before Christmas simply served to focus their minds on series a and the Champions League in which the bianoti were imperious in a group also containing Manchester United Juventus finished top with 16 points out of a possible 18 conceding only a single goal in their six games bik and delpiero were lethal in the penalty area zad often conducting the orchestra just behind them by the end of The League campaign on

June 1st 1997 a zadan inspired bian coner had tested defeat just three times in 34 games and conceded only 24 goals It meant that their 14 drawn games wouldn't be enough to allow second place Parma to snatch the crown Juventus were once again champions of Italy zadan had scored five goals but that only told part of the story playing in behind from players such as alesandro delpiero Michel pavano Ellen bchic and Christian vieri his abilities to find Space link play and unlock the tightest of defenses with devastatingly accurate passing were fundamental to the way lippy's

team Dominated almost every game they played having won their Champions League group Juventus battled passed rosenborg 3-1 on aggregate with zadan scoring the opening goal in a decisive second leg Victory and then ax 6-2 on aggregate zidan adding the final goal in a 4-1 win in Turin to reach the final Munich against Bia Dortmund however in one of the rare occasions that it happened Scotland's Paul Lambert successfully stifled zidan's influence and creativity in the Historic Olympic Stadium as the German side somewhat surprisingly triumphed 3-1 in the decider despite that disappointing end to the club's European

campaign zidan had made a huge Splash in his debut season in Italy it was no surprise whatsoever that he was named series a foreign footballer of the Year quite an eade when you consider the standard of the competition he faced for that title that was only the beginning if anything The Following Season zadan Stepped his game up yet another level the club had signed penalty area poacher Supreme filipo enagi from Atlanta during the summer alongside the worldclass delpo the pair wreaked havoc against the continent as well as domestically within Italy zadan was the orchestrator more

often than not the supplier of their bullets though he did claim Seven League goals himself the series a title was emphatically retained with an almost procession like dominance in their 34 League games the Men in Black black and white striped shirts were defeated just twice those losses were at interm Milan who finished Runners Up by Five Points and fantina who finished fifth it was a truly remarkable feat and underpinned the belief amongst Juventus fans that Zinedine zadan was now the Undisputed king of Italy a generational talent in blossoming his natural abilities to their full range

he had carried a very special team to unchartered New Heights Delpiero and enagi had been the chief beneficiaries claiming a fabulous 39 series a goals between them the pair were in no doubt as to who they needed to thank for their Stellar season in front of gold after he had retired delpo summed it up zadan had an extraordinary Talent which contributed to his sole interest in helping the team he was not a selfish player he had a unique ability to be great and to be a team player I was lucky to play with him despite

their Utter domination in Italy Juventus were more fragile in Europe during the previous two seasons they finished Runners up in the Champions League group to Manchester United to whom they lost 3-2 at Old Trafford however they brought in defensive Midfield Kingpin Edgar Davids from Rivals AC Milan just before Christmas with Davids in front of the defense Juventus once again Advanced Through The Knockout rounds overcoming damoo KV and as Monaco with relative Ease to face Real Madrid in the 1998 final at the Amsterdam Arena that would end in yet another deflating experience for zadan and his

comrades despite enjoying long periods of possession and missing several very presentable openings Juventus fell however zidan didn't have time to dwell on that disappointment June and July of 1998 witnessed his Nation hosting their second ever World Cup Tournament and the French knew that they had a squad with Enough individual and Collective talent to go all the way to the final and win it wearing an iconic shirt designed from Adidas zidan was at the absolute peak of his now substantial Powers operating as the creative Lynch pin ahead of a holding Midfield Duo of Team captains and

Juventus teammate DDA des shamp and arsenals Emanuel petite behind them stood the Resolute rocks of Lauren Blanc and Marcel Des with pacy attacking fullbacks lilon tram and bente lazaru Constantly probing for openings down either flank for targets zadan had Yuri jorev TI onri David trees and old bordeau colleague Kristoff duari ahead of him it was no wonder they stormed through their opening group stage with ominous ease defeating South Africa 3 Saudi Arabia 40 and Denmark 2-1 however zidan's tournament had not gone smoothly in the second game against the Saudis at the State to France he

was shown a straight red card after 70 minutes for Seemingly planting his studs into an opponent as they collided in a challenge he therefore played no part in the narrow win over the Dan in Leon nor the Frau nerve-wracking 1 nil extratime victory over a Resolute Paraguay in the round of 16 and lens that game was won via a golden goal from Blanc the first time the controversial method had been used to decide a competitive World Cup fixture zidan returned for the quarterfinal Clash against some familiar Faces Italy amongst those lining up against him in

St Dennis were Club teammates delpiero vieri and D liio What followed was the perfect example of two finely balanced sides cancelling each other out Italian stubbornness proving the equal of French invention after 120 Minutes of attrition it was down to penalty kicks to decide a victory as he had done for several years San was the first man to step up to the spot for France successfully beating Jan LCA Paluka that set the tone as the host triumphed 4 three to seal a place in the semi-finals against the very strong croatians that semi-final game didn't lack

for drama intention either Zan and France grimly held on to a 2-1 lead given to them through two Lilian teram goals before Lauren Blanc was sent off with 15 minutes remaining at the state def France the 12th day affirm zadan as the Midfield Maestro for the new world Champions suddenly you couldn't go Anywhere without seeing a kid running around in a football shirt with zidan 10 on the back of it the man from Marseilles was no longer just king of Italy he was threatening to become the king of the world as if in recognition of

that fact FIFA awarded zidan the World Player of the Year award for 1998 he became the first Frenchman to win the prize it would be the high point of his career at least in the short term back in Turan zidane sustained a knee injury Before the new series a season had even kicked off and that contributed to a stop start season for both himself and Juventus a disastrous run of four defeats and five games Before Christmas left the bian coner trailing behind Front Runners AC Milan and Lazio a deficit they never threatened to bridge by

the end of the season they trailed home in a dismal seventh position 16 points behind new Champions AC Milan and missed out on Champions League Qualification altogether they did manage to battle through to the semi-final stage of Europe's Premier Club competition however there they came up against a the Manchester United side that was in imperious form on their way to an unprecedented treble for an English Club United won 4-3 on aggregate inflicting a devastating but thoroughly deserved 3-2 defeat on their host and Turin in the second game by then Talisman zadan was out for the

season Having aggravated his knee injury a week earlier against bolognia the club had also let manager Marcelo Lippy leave replaced in the Dugout by Carlo ancelotti it was the first time zadan had finished a season at Juventus without so overwar and he was determined it wouldn't happen again that same grit amongst the rest of the squad to right or wrong led to the Turin Giants storming into the new season having had to commence early due to participation In an intertoto cup competition which they won to secure a passage into the UFA Cup by the time

series a kicked off at the end of August 1999 Juventus had been playing competitively for 6 weeks zadan was part of the side which claimed a point against Regina on the opening weekend despite an early defeat at leche the biano ner stayed in contention at the top of the table winning every single home game for the rest of the calendar year and remaining unbeaten Away from home 2 zidan was again pulling the strings creating chances for enagi delpiero and new Serbian Striker Darko kovachevich signed from real sadad in the summer to gobble up as Christmas

gave way to a New Millennium the enigmatic Frenchman found the net himself two weeks running in wins over Perugia and Regina which propelled Juventus to top spot in series a however it would all end in years the month of March witnessed Juventus crash out of The UEFA cup thrashed at 4-nil at selta vgo having had two players sent off in a stormy opening half two weeks later and with Lazio hot on their heels they lost 2-n to AC Milan at the sanero and then 1 Z and then 1 nil at home to the Roman side

a week later on April Fool's Day going into the final day May 14th zadan and his comrades only had to win at mid-table peruja to reclaim the league title however Rivals Lazio applied pressure by winning 3 against Regina Moving a point clear of the biano ner then disaster equalizer in the mud much less a winner defeat gifted the scudetto halao by a single point zidan was at the peak of his powers in the 2000 European championships with vital goals against Spain in the quarterfinal and a 117th minute winner against Portugal in the semifinal it wasn't

just his goals that led him to be the tournament's best player as some of his individual performances from this tournament have Gone down in history season 2000 to 2001 would be zidan's final one in the Juventus colors and despite once again proving himself to be the leading creative talent in Italy he couldn't prevent the scudetto again slipping away to a rival Club this time to as Roma the pivotal game had been the clash between the top two in Turin on May 6th Juventus had raced into an early 2-n lead after only 6 minutes zadan scoring

the second goal himself however an uncharacteristic Fumble by keeper Edwin Vander had gifted Roma a goal with 10 minutes remaining and a last gasp equalizer by Vincenzo Montella had completely deflated the boner despite winning all five of the remaining series a games Juventus trailed home two points behind Roma like the club from the capital city they had lost only three times all season but had crucially drawn one more game than Roma essentially montella's late equalizer had caed zadan a third series a winners Medal in his Five Seasons at Juventus it summarized a disappoint oin in

final season in Italy for zadan in the Champions League his often Fierce temper had gotten the better of him he had been red carded early in the penultimate group phase against SV Hamburg for headbutting an opponent therefore missing the final game against panikos in Athens Juventus had lost both these games 3-1 to crash out of Europe at the group stage for the first time ever the Failure of his Club to secure silverware for the third season in succession wasn't detrimental enough to prevent zidan being awarded the prodigious series a foreign footballer of the Year award

for the second time of his sojourn in Italy it would be a parting gift from the Italian football authorities to the man who had lit up their Top Flight with his outrageous football talents for 5 years on July 19th 2001 Zinedine zadan became the most expensive player in History when he moved to Spanish Giants Real Madrid for just under 70 million Juventus had made a profit of around 66 million pound on the deal during his 5 years in Turin zadan had become the UN disputed king of Italy now he would try to achieve the same

billing in Spain zidan was a free spirit in Madrid allowed and encourage to showbo reigniting his youth where he would be found playing football on the streets zadan had to return to his roots as a Flashy playmaker once again just how he looked when coming through the ranks before the days in Italy where he became more of an efficient player just like his time in Italy it was zidan's second season in which he played his best football in 20022 2003 zadan was la liga's standout performer as Madrid won the title he was undoubtedly a France

player over a club player but he would always turn up for the big games it doesn't get much bigger than the Champions League final and everyone remembers his goal in the 2002 final played at Hamin Park against Byron Leverkusen a volley that came from a perfect cross from Roberto Carlos it was almost too perfect as it found zadan directly meaning he couldn't run onto the ball and finish he also did not need to adjust his position which in a way made it harder but he still managed to connect perfectly and send the ball flying into

the net using his weaker Foot it's 2003 and Real Madrid are trying to reclaim La Liga and defend their UEFA Champions League title Vincente delbos has quite frankly a ridiculous Squad of players to choose from Ronaldo Lu Figo Roberto Carlos guti and of course Zinedine zadan were just some of the players in that team who wore that gorgeous Adidas strip zadan fresh from his Antics in the final in Glasgow the season before was once again the Rolls-Royce in in a Midfield that Was tearing apart La Liga and Europe This was where zidan would hit his

Peak as a player fresh from the disappointment of Korea Japan in 2002 with the French national side zidan would scoop up the FIFA Player of the Year award in 2003 for the third time and for the most part of the 20022 2003 season would be unplayable as he led Los Blancos to their 29th league title and the Champions League semifinals zidan had been at the Forefront of the side That had won the Champions League the season before and Real Madrid were expected to defend their Crown becoming the first side in champions league history to do

so unsurprisingly Madrid finished top of their final group stage in the competition Roma AEK Athens and yank put up a better than expected fight as Los Blancos only picked up two wins in the group but it was enough to see them through zadan was absent from the squad that beat gank and only played for 70 minutes against Roma it was guti and Raul that would seal the headlines in the two wins but zidan would become more prom minent in the second group stage Madrid were joined by two European Giants in this stage of the competition

AC Milan and brucia Dortmund both past winners of the competition would make up an exciting group alongside locomotive Moscow who were probably fearing for the worst however things didn't get off to the best of starts a 1-nil defeat in Milan alongside a 2-2 draw at home to locomotif meant that the pressure was now on and if Dortmund managed to do the unthinkable and win at the bernabo Del bosque's side would have to win the rest of their games to realistically qualify Yan CER silenced the bernabo on 30 minutes with his goal against the run of

the play striking the ball with his second touch just outside the Madrid box Dortmund had gone in front and Madrid needed someone to step up for them to Take their three points rul equalized just before halftime and once again zadan would be the player to win the game for Los Blancos halfway through the second half Figo found zadan on the right hand side making a darting run into acres of space zadan carried the ball into the Dortmund box before for effortlessly teeing up Ronaldo to give Madrid the lead zidan was perfect for everything about that

period at Real Madrid the all cap stencil lettering on The shirts the white collar and the Zan mobile sponsorship are all synonymous with him dictating the play in his number five shirt there was no response from Dortmund and Madrid would only drop two more points in the group two wins against Milan and locomotive alongside a draw in Dortmund would seal a spot in the quarterfinals where Manchester United would await there isn't much to be said about this time that hasn't been said already Ronaldo's performance in The second leg got a standing ovation at Old Trafford

and the second leg in particular is widely regarded as one of the best in champions league history although Ronaldo was on a different planet to every other player that night his performance wouldn't have been possible without zidan pulling the strings in Midfield zidan had carried on his form for the first leg that Madrid won 3-1 12 minutes in he had set up Figo for the opener on the night pulling in Wes Brown with a fake shot and teeing up the portug ugues on the edge of the Box who chipped Fabian bartez 16 minutes later it

was zadan again who capitalized on Nikki but's poor touch and found rul who made it 2-n 5 minutes into the second half Raul added a third for Madrid with a move that started once more with zidan in Midfield he'd been all over the pitch that night and it was impossible really for anyone to stop him the 3-1 win was unrecognizable to the Early struggles in the second group stage the second leg wasn't particularly unique for zidan's form that season he just picked up where he left off Madrid's first goal at Old Trafford was typical of

zidan the Frenchman although United won 4-3 Madrid's lead from the first leg was enough to see them into the semi-final Ronaldo deservedly grabbed the headlines the following morning with his hattrick but zadan was also in blistering form over the two Legs and was a huge part of the 64 aggregate win zidan's former Club in Juventus would stand in the way between him reaching a second consecutive European final a 2-1 win at the babou in the first leg put Madrid in a great position to face one of the Milan sides in the final and with Old

Trafford housing the final zadan and all were probably rubbing their hands together at the prospect of returning there but it wasn't meant to be Juventus won the Second leg 3-1 despite zadan pulling a goal back in the 89th minute at the stadio Del alpie it wasn't enough and Juventus made it through into the final despite being one game away from the final it had still been a disappointing European campaign for Los Blancos who should have really capitalized on the lead they had from the first leg against Juventus it would be the closest that zidan would

come to picking up the Champions League again before he retired As a player disappointing quarterfinal exits to the likes of Arsenal and Monaco would be something that would hang over zidan's career and Madrid themselves who would have to wait 11 years to lift Europe's Premier competition again going into the last day of the season the title was now in Madrid's hands if they could beat Athletic Club at home the La Liga trophy would return back to the Santiago barnab after a Year's absence in Valencia sadad had done brilliantly To take the title race to the

last day of the season but the inexperience of being in these types of situations had caught up with them a brief spell in the early 1980s where they picked up back-to-back titles was their only flirt with success so it was no surprise that this Real Madrid side especially would eventually catch up with them laal did everything they could by beting atleti 30-0 but it now was out of their control a comfortable 3-1 win over athletic was Enough to take the title back to Madrid zadan was once again magnificent as he replicated his pass at the

Calderon for Madrid's third on the evening easing the ball through the athletic defense on the perfect bnab carbet surface and into Ronaldo who sealed the title it would end up being the only La Liga title that zadan would pick up at his time at Real Madrid due to how the galactico system would inevitably fall apart and the rise of Frank ricard's Barcelona side that Would reach the 2006 Champions League final although the champions League win in 2002 would never have happened without zidan's performances in the final and throughout that competition he was the center of

a lot of key moments he managed to up his game for 20022 2003 and reach the peak of his professional career you would think TI on re would be a perfect partner for zadan with his pace and ability to run in behind would be a dream for zizos to assist however His new role at Madrid as a flashy player caused his performances to dabble between marvelous and mediocre HRI on the other hand was was devastatingly consistent he was awarded French player of the year five times while zadan only received the award twice throughout their International

careers in which they play together regularly zadan only assisted HRI on two occasions zadan wanted to slow it down and play the game at his Pace while HRI was the opposite He wanted the ball quickly so he could be direct enri underlined this problem in 2004 when he said the sooner I get the ball like at Arsenal where we play without a playmaker the better it is without naming zidan directly you know know it was aimed at him after Poor showings by France as favorites at both the World Cup in 2002 and Euro 2004 zidan

announced his International retirement in 2004 with France struggling to qualify for the World Cup In 2006 zidan was called on to come out of retirement and help them not only qualify but also compete against the best teams in the world zidan in the weeks before the tournament had also announced his retirement from Club football meaning that the World Cup in Germany 2006 would be the last chance to see one of the greatest players ever blessed with his art it meant that all eyes would be on him for the duration to see if he could end

his career in Spectacular fashion the 2002 hangover still appeared to be an effect for leblue as they struggled in their opening two games a z0 against Switzerland in studard was followed by an equally uninspired 1 one-1 draw against South Korea in leptic to make matters worse zadan who had been made captain for the tournament was booked in both games meaning for the second time he would miss the final group game of a World Cup finals thankfully for him France finally found some form dispatching Togo 20 meaning zadan would have another chance to Grace The Knockout

stages of an International Tournament with his presence he assisted Patrick Vieira then scored his first goal in the finals in eight years against Spain as France eased past Louis Aragon side 3-1 setting up a rematch of the 1998 final against Brazil it was here that those watching were lucky enough to witness zadan at his Majestical best easing past two three midfielders with a quick turn and a burst of pace with just 35 seconds on the clock bullying current Superstars like Kaka off the ball with ease making him appear like a child in a man's game

the game is played at his Tempo being at the center of all France's positive moves and at times it genuinely appears that the game has slowed down around him he also gets the assist for the only goal of the game delivering a whipped Free kick right onto the foot of the unmarked tierion re who doesn't have to break strike before lashing it home past the helpless daa before before the tournament there had been questions of whether zadan deserved his place in the team considering his age and his relatively speaking poor domestic form over the previous

two seasons shockingly those calling for him to be dropped had fallen silent after this astonishing performance Portugal were the next team Standing in Leo's way and in another tight Affair the game was decided by a penalty from France's captain and Talisman he had found form just at the right time and was on the brink of lifting the iconic golden trophy for a second time the final was to be his last ever game as a professional footballer and it almost seemed like it was the closing act of a Hollywood Blockbuster the match followed the script to

begin with the penalty was awarded and zadan Faced up against John Luigi Buon the stage couldn't have been bigger the pressure couldn't have been higher zadan oblivious to all this does something us mere mortals wouldn't even have begun to have considered he panaka it down the middle kissing the crossbar with it dropping just over the line to give France the advantage it was the fifth fastest goal in a World Cup final and would have been the overriding image for any other major final the lead lasted Only 12 minutes as materazzi made amends by heading in

an Entre up herow Corner the two sides traded blows but neither could land a winning punch extra time began and zizu was close to winning it finding himself unmarked by the penalty shot he sent a powerful header towards the Italian goal Buon was equal to it tipping it over the bar with a strong right hand the game was edging every closer to penalties then it happened all of a sudden a red card was flashed and The most talented player of his generation was walking off the pitch whatever the insult was it was enough to tip

zadan over the edge causing him to erupt in dangerously aggressive fashion it took a few seconds for everyone both on the pitch and watching at home to realize what had happened the image of him heading down the tunnel walking past the trophy without looking up at it is one that everyone who watched the game will remember forever as Captain and the Designated penalty taker he undoubtedly would have taken responsibility in the penalty shootout without him France missed the chance to make it to Two World Cups in eight years as instead the Italians lifted the trophy

for the first time since 1984 understandably his teammates were furious with their Captain he gave a speech to apologize and afterwards Dominic tried to begin Applause but instead was met only with the grinding Of teeth certain players hated their Captain Frank Le a member of the 1998 Winning Side described himself as ashamed of his former teammate the French paper lefigaro called the incident odius while the front page of another liquip went with criticism in the form of a question what should we tell our children for whom you have become an example forever how could that

happen to a man like you while clearly showing remorse for what happened and Seeking forgiveness from his teammates and the French people there is still one person who zidan doesn't feel it is necessary to reconcile with it doesn't take a genius to work out who he's talking about here if I ask him forgiveness I lack respect for myself and for all those I hold dear with all my heart I apologized to football to the fans to the team after the game I went into the dressing room and told them forgive me this doesn't change anything

But sorry everyone but to him I cannot never never perhaps surprisingly the French public were slightly more forgiving of the episode polls conducted not long after the conclusion of the tournament showed that 61% of the people had already forgiven him while 51% understood his actions unlike the way David beckan was treated following a similar incident in the 1998 World Cup zadan certainly got off rather lightly from the fans despite this forgiveness They still would all have preferred a different outcome because however you look at zidan's time in the game it should not have ended like

this this was not in the script A glittering career which amongst others included two scudettos a La Liga title A champions league and a World Cup winners medal was over in the most controversial manner possible it could have been the Perfect final episode wrapping everything up in a satisfying and fulfilling way instead It left people asking I wish it could have ended like this however this was just the end of the first chapter since the new chapter full of success begins after [Music] this all