How we like him?
[rate 5.0]
What is he famous for?
He is the greatest midfielder in the last decade and considered as one of the greatest players that played the game. The record holder of a $66 million dollar transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid, he volleyed a legendary shot in the European Cup in 2002 that helped them win against Bayer Leverkusen.
FIFA World Cup 2006 was known for his headbutt.
Personality & likeness
He is a shy person who is a strong example of an efficient silent worker and leader. He doesn’t need to talk much to carry his team to victory, his actions speak louder than words.
Playboy rating
[rate 3.0]
He is a family guy whom you would not expect to go around using his status to seduce or better yet to succumb to all the girls who are curious to see the animalistic behavior underneath him.
Coolness level
He reminds us of veterans with his choice of clothes and color.
What do we obsess from him?
That he’ll drink the fountain of youth and redeem his head butt move in the next FIFA World Cup on 2010 in Africa.
Nickname: Zizou, ZZ
Birthdate: 23 June 1972
Height / Weight: 1.85 cm, 6′ 1” / 78 kg
Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Real Madrid (ESP)
Int’l Goals: 31 (as of 9-Jul-2006)
Int’l Caps: 108 (as of 9-Jul-2006)
First Int’l Cap: France v. Czech Republic (17-Aug-1994)
Clubs / Year / Goals
Real Madrid (ESP) / Since 2001 / 155 (34)
Juventus (ITA) / 1996-2001 / 151 (24)
Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA) / 1992-1996 / 139 (28)
Cannes (FRA) / 1988-1992 / 61 (6)
National Team France / 1994-2006 / 108 (31)
Biography
Zidane is arguably the greatest football player in the world for the last decade who propelled his country to their first FIFA World Cup title in 1998 via two headed goals. He was born on French soil and came from Algerian descent after his family migrated to escape the war happening in their country and saw him playing dominantly against his brothers and cousins at a young age.
His leadership in FIFA World Cup 1998 propelled him to the highest status any footballer could imagine.
His monstrous accomplishments are led by winning the FIFA World Player of the Year a record-tying three times (1998, 2000, and 2003), the European Footballer of the Year (1998) and were awarded the Golden Ball in the 2006 World Cup. Zidane was included in the FIFA 100 which is a list of the 125 greatest living footballers (50 active, 75 retired), as selected by Pelé to mark FIFA’s centenary celebrations in 2004.
Zizou announced on 25 April 2006 that he will retire from football after the 2006 World Cup Final on 9 July 2006.
Timeline
Zinedine Zidane (a.k.a. Zizou), born June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France got his start in football when he joined local club in the La Castellane district of Marseilles — US Saint-Henri. After his footballing prowess, he moved on to Septemes Sports Olympiques and left the club at the age of 14 and joined in the first year junior selection for the league championship and was discovered on the same year.
Three days later he was at the sport regional centre in Aix-en-Provence where AS Cannes’ recruiter — Jean Varraud, saw the potential of the French-Algerian player. His initial six-week stay extended to four years while play with professionals. He was then transferred to Italy’s Juventus F.C. for a fee of £ 3 million.
He was coached by FIFA World Cup 2006 winner Marcello Lippi and played alongside top notch players Didier Deschamps, Alessandro Del Piero, and Edgar Davids. He helped propel the team to two Serie A titles but lost two consecutive UEFA Champions League finals, in 1997 and 1998, to Spanish club Real Madrid, his next club.
The record-breaking transfer fee of € 66 million saw Zidane move to Real Madrid in 2001 playing against Gigantic David Beckham, Raúl González, LuÃs Figo, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos. His transfer fee was worth up to the last penny as he made a legendary goal to a 2-1 win over the German team Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 Champions League final at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.
Zidane played his last home game for Real Madrid in 7 May 2006 at the famous Santiago Bernabéu stadium which saw his team-mates wore special jerseys that had ZIDANE 2001–2006 written on the bottom of the club logo. He scored the second goal of a 3-3 draw against Villarreal CF amidst the non-stop cheering of fans. A lasting moment when Zidane swapped jerseys with Villarreal CF and Argentinian midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme after which he left in tears from the massive ovation by spectators.
Career Setbacks
He might be best remembered as the footballer who sent Materrazi to the ground on his thunderous head butt that denied him of a chance to win the FIFA World Cup title in 2006.
Career Highlights
propelled his country to their first FIFA World Cup title with his two headed goals
scored 20 goals or more in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford
scored 150 goals in 219 games, (as of April 1, 2006) for Manchester United
Awards & Honours
FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2003
European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d’Or): 1998
UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2001-02
UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (Best European player of the past 50 years): 2004FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Award: 2006
FIFA World Cup Winner: 1998
FIFA World Cup Winner Runner Up: 2006
FIFA World Cup Appearances: 1998, 2002, 2006European Championship Winner: 2000
European Championship Appearances: 1996, 2000, 2004Italian League – Serie A champions (scudetto): 1996/1997, 1997/1998
European Super Cup: 1996
Intercontinental Cup: 1996
Italian Super Cup: 1997
With Real Madrid:Spanish Super Cup: 2001, 2003
UEFA Champions League: 2001/2002
Intercontinental Cup: 2002
Spanish League – La Liga champions: 2002/2003
European Super Cup: 2002Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d’honneur: since 1998[45]
Torchbearer for the 2004 Summer Olympics
[tags]Manchester United, Netherlands, Ruud Van Nistelrooy[/tags]
he is the best player in the world forever