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Zinedine Zidane

 

- Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane
  • Nicknamed "Zizou"
  • Born in Marseilles, France, of Algerian parents
  • Scored his first goal professionally in 1991; the president of the Cannes football club gifted him with a car.
  • In his first international game (playing for France against the Czech Republic) in 1994, he scored two goals in 17 minutes
  • Won Golden Ball — European MVP award for leading France to victory in 1998 World Cup
  • FIFA Player of the Year in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006
  • Became football's most expensive player in 2001, when Real Madrid acquired him for £46 million (roughly $66 million)
  • Christian Dior's first male model
  • After being sidelined several times with injuries, he announced he would retire after 2006 World Cup games in Germany
  • Captained the French team in World Cup 2006 games; they lost to Italy
  • Headbutted opponent Marco Materazzi after a brief altercation in the 100th minute of the World Cup Final game. Zidane was red-carded, banished from the field.
  • Still won 2006 FIFA Golden Ball
  • Is featured as a LEGO minifigure, included in some of the soccer playsets

"I have won many awards and I am very happy about this, but I am not the best player in the world." — Zinedine Zidane

"It doesn't matter how many times you win an award, it is always very special." — Zinedine Zidane

"When we don't know what to do, we just give the ball to Zizou and he works something out." — Bixente Lizarazu

 
Who2 Biography: Zinedine Zidane, Soccer Player
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Zinedine Zidane
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  • Born: 23 June 1972
  • Birthplace: Marseille, France
  • Best Known As: The MVP of World Cup 1998

A flashy midfielder, Zinedine Zidane won the Golden Ball as the most valuable player in the World Cups of 1998 and 2006. Zidane played his first professional First Division game for Cannes in 1991 and quickly rose through the professional ranks. He sealed his reputation by scoring two goals in the World Cup finals of 1998, helping France defeat Brazil to claim its first-ever World Cup championship. Zidane played for professional powerhouse Juventus from 1996 until 2001, when he was acquired by Real Madrid for 46 million pounds, a record fee. (By 2003 his teammates on Real Madrid included superstars David Beckham, Luis Figo and Ronaldo, among others.) Zidane was named FIFA player of the year in 1998, 2000, and 2003. He retired from professional soccer after leading France to the finals of the 2006 World Cup.

Zidane's nickname is "Zizou"... In his final game, the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, Zidane was red-carded out of the game for a bizarre headbutt to the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi. Italy won the game and the World Cup on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. However, Zidane was still named the tournament's most outstanding player. He claimed he hit Materazzi in retaliation for insults made about Zidane's mother and sister; in September 2006 Materazzi said he had grabbed Zidane's shirt during play, causing Zidane to remark that he would give him the shirt if he liked it so much, in turn prompting Materazzi to respond, "I'd rather have your sister." Materazzi further claimed he didn't know Zidane had a sister until after the incident.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Zinédine Zidane
Zidane, Zinédine, 1972–, French soccer player. The son of Algerian immigrants, Zidane, nicknamed Zizou, was an attacking midfielder and one of the finest contemporary footballers. He played for France's Cannes (1987–92) and Girondins (1992–96), Italy's Juventus (1996–2001), and Spain's Real Madrid (2001–6), racking up major championships and cups with each squad. European footballer of the year in 1998, he also was a four-time world footballer of the year (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006). Zidane joined (1994) the French national team and in 1998 led them to World Cup victory, winning the Golden Ball. In 2000 he was a key factor in France's capture of the European Cup. In the 2006 World Cup final (which France lost), Zidane was ejected for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi, who had made a personally insulting remark, but he was again awarded the Golden Ball.
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Wikipedia: Zinedine Zidane
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Zinedine Zidane
Personal information
Full name Zinedine Yazid Zidane
Date of birth 23 June 1972 (1972-06-23) (age 37)
Place of birth Marseille, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder (retired)
Youth career
1982–1983 US Saint-Henri
1983–1987 SO Septèmes-les-Vallons
1987–1988 Cannes
Senior career1
Years Club Apps2 (Gls)2
1988–1992 Cannes 61 (6)
1992–1996 Bordeaux 139 (28)
1996–2001 Juventus 151 (24)
2001–2006 Real Madrid 155 (37)
Total 506 (95)
National team
1994–2006 France 108 (31)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
2 Appearances (Goals).

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (French pronunciation: [ˌzineˈdin jaˈzid ziˈdan]; born 23 June 1972 in Marseille), popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a natural-born French citizen best known for having been a football midfielder He originates from Algerian Muslim Parents. He had played for club teams in France, Italy, and Spain, and was a member of the French national team. His career accomplishments include helping France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, in addition to winning the 2002 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid.

One of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners (Ronaldo being the other), Zidane was also named the European Footballer of the Year in 1998. His abilities were further recognized in 2004 when he was included in Pelé's choice list of the world's greatest footballers. He retired from professional football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[1]

Club career

Zidane joined the junior team of US Saint-Henri, a local club in the La Castellane district of Marseille. At the age of 14, he participated in the first-year junior selection for the league championship, where he caught the attention of AS Cannes scout Jean Varraud. He went to Cannes for a six-week stay, but ended up remaining at the club for four years to play at the professional level. Zidane played his first Ligue 1 match at seventeen, and scored his first goal on 8 February 1991, for which he received a car as a gift from the team president. His first season with Cannes culminated in a UEFA Cup berth.

Zidane (left) with David Beckham at Real Madrid.

Zidane transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux for the 1992–93 season, winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup and finishing runner-up in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup in four years with the club. He played a set of midfield combinations with Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, which would become the trademark of both Bordeaux and the 1998 French national team. In 1995, Blackburn Rovers coach Ray Harford had expressed interest in signing both Zidane and Dugarry, to which team owner Jack Walker reportedly replied, "Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?"[2]

In 1996, Zidane moved to Champions League winners Juventus for a fee of £3 million, and won the 1996–97 Scudetto and the Intercontinental Cup, but lost the 1997 UEFA Champions League final 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund. He netted seven goals in 32 matches to help Juventus retain the Scudetto the next season and make their second consecutive UEFA Champions League final appearance, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid which would be his next destination. Juventus were runners-up in 2000–01, but were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League, during which Zidane was sent off for headbutting Hamburger SV player Jochen Kientz.

In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for €78 million, the most expensive transfer fee in football history at the time, and signed a four-year contract. He scored the match-winning goal in Madrid's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final completing this personal quadruple. The next season, Zidane was named the FIFA World Player of the Year for the third time. In 2004, fans voted him atop UEFA's fiftieth-anniversary Golden Jubilee Poll, and he was included in the FIFA 100.

Despite scoring his first-ever hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Sevilla FC, Zidane's final season of club football ended trophyless. On 7 May 2006, Zidane, who had announced his plans to retire after the 2006 World Cup,[3] played his last home match and scored in a 3-3 draw with Villarreal CF. The squad wore commemorative jerseys with "ZIDANE 2001–2006" below the club logo.

International career

A Zidane football jersey, number 10 for France.

Both France and Berber Algeria(Kabyle) consider Zidane a citizen, but he was ineligible to play for the Algerian national team. There was also a rumor that coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied him a position for the Algerian squad because he felt the young midfielder was not fast enough. [4] However, Zidane dismissed the rumor in a 2005 interview, saying that he would have been ineligible to play for Algeria because he had already played for France.[5]

He earned his first cap with France as a substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic on 17 August 1994, which ended in a 2-2 draw after Zidane scored twice to help France erase a 2-0 deficit. After Éric Cantona was handed a year-long suspension in January 1995 for assaulting a fan, Zidane took over the playmaker position. France were eliminated in the UEFA Euro 1996 semifinals in a penalty shootout by the Czech Republic after the match ended 0-0 in extra time.

Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, scoring twice in the final against defending champions Brazil. He finished with two goals as France then won UEFA Euro 2000, becoming the first team to hold both the World Cup and the European Championship since West Germany in 1974. A thigh injury prevented Zidane from playing in France's first two matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He rushed back prematurely for the third game despite not being fully fit, but could not prevent France from being ignominiously eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single goal.[6]

After France were eliminated in the UEFA Euro 2004 quarterfinals by eventual winners Greece on 12 June 2004, Zidane retired from international football.[7] With the mass retirement of veteran key players such as Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly and others, France struggled to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, at the urging of coach Raymond Domenech, Zidane came out of retirement and was immediately reinstated as team captain.[8] He made his competitive return in a 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands on 3 September 2005, as France went on to win their qualifying group.[9]

On 27 May 2006, Zidane earned his hundredth cap for France in a 1-0 friendly win over Mexico, becoming France's fourth player ever to reach this milestone, after Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps and Lilian Thuram. He was substituted early in the second half.[10]

2006 World Cup

Zidane during the 2006 World Cup final.

After being suspended on yellow cards from the final match of the group stage,[11] Zidane set up a goal for Patrick Vieira and scored one himself in the 91st minute of the second round match against Spain. As France held Brazil to just one shot on goal in the rematch of the 1998 final, Zidane's free kick led to Thierry Henry's deciding goal, sealing a 1-0 win. Zidane was named Man of the Match by FIFA.[12] Before the final match, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition.[13]

By scoring a 7th minute penalty in the final, Zidane became only the fourth player in World Cup history to score 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. However, he was sent off in the 110th minute with the match tied 1–1, for an off-the-ball head-butt of Marco Materazzi. Thus, he did not participate in the penalty shootout, which Italy won 5–3. It would be his final moment and match in professional football. Despite his red card and the controversy that followed, he kept the Golden Ball award.[13]

Post-retirement

On June 1, 2009, Zidane was announced as the Advisor to the President as Florentino Perez was named President of Real Madrid for the second time. He also regularly plays for Real Madrid Veterans team.[14] He along with Jorge Valdano, General Director, and Miguel Pardeza, Sporting Director, will be the key decision makers on the sporting side of the club.

Charity activities

Zidane during an appearance for the Danone Nations Cup.

In 2003, Zidane attended the Race Against Hunger organized by Action Against Hunger Spain (also known as Acción Contra el Hambre) held at the French Lyceum of Madrid. This event raised an estimated 25,000 Euros.

On 24 February 2007, before a crowd of 10,000 fans at a match in northern Thailand for the Keuydaroon children's AIDS charity, Zidane scored the first goal and set up the second for a Malaysian teammate as the match ended 2-2. The event raised ฿260,000 ($7,750). This money paid for the building of two schools and 16 three-bedroom houses.[15]

On 19 November 2007, Zidane took part in the fifth annual Match Against Poverty in Málaga, Spain, which also ended in a 2-2 draw; he went scoreless but set up his team’s second goal. He and former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo, who collaborated in conceiving the yearly event to benefit the United Nations Development Programme, regularly captain their respective teams consisting of active footballers, other professional athletes and celebrities. Zidane, a U.N. goodwill ambassador since 2001, stated before the game that “everyone can do something to make the world a better place.”[16]

Awards, honours, and appointments

In 2004, Forbes magazine named him the 42nd-highest paid athlete in the world, with earnings of US$15.8 million a year.[17] In November 2006, Zidane toured Bangladesh as the guest of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. He also visited the Algerian birthplace of his parents, and met personally with president Abdel Aziz Bouteflika.[18]

Filmmakers Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon filmed a documentary, Zidane, which follows Zidane during an entire match, filmed with 17 cameras. The documentary was part of the 2009 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.[19]

Sponsorships

Zidane has had endorsements with many companies, including: Adidas, Lego, France Telecom, Orange, Audi, Volvic and Christian Dior. These sponsorship deals earned him €8.6 million on top of his €6.4 million Real Madrid salary in his final season, making him the sixth-highest paid footballer.[20][21]

Personal life

Zidane is of Algerian Kabyle descent. His parents, Ismail and Malika, both Muslims, emigrated from the village of Aguemone in the Kabylie region of Algeria in 1953, and settled in Paris, before moving to Marseille a few years later.[22]

Zidane met his wife, Véronique while playing for Cannes in the 1988-89 season.[23][dead link] They have four sons: Enzo (named after former Uruguayan player Enzo Francescoli), Luca,[24] Theo,[25] who are both members of the Real Madrid Infantil B Team, and Elyaz.

Statistics

[26]

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League Coupe de France Europe Total
1988-89 Cannes Division 1 2 0 - - 2 0
1989-90 0 0 - - 0 0
1990-91 28 1 - - 28 1
1991-92 31 5 - 4 0 35 5
1992-93 Girondins Bordeaux Division 1 35 10 - - 35 10
1993-94 34 6 - 6 2 40 8
1994-95 37 6 3 2 4 1 44 9
1995-96 33 6 14 3 8 1 55 10
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
1996-97 Juventus Serie A 29 5 9 1 10 2 48 8
1997-98 32 7 5 1 11 3 48 11
1998-99 25 2 6 0 10 0 41 2
1999-00 32 4 4 0 4 0 40 9
2000-01 33 6 2 0 4 0 39 8
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
2001-02 Real Madrid La Liga 31 7 9 1 9 3 49 11
2002-03 33 9 1 0 14 3 49 12
2003-04 33 6 7 1 10 3 50 10
2004-05 29 6 1 0 10 0 39 6
2005-06 29 9 5 0 4 0 38 9
Total France 200 34 17 5 22 4 239 43
Italy 151 24 26 2 49 5 226 42
Spain 155 37 23 2 47 9 224 49
Career Total 506 95 66 9 118 18 689 134

Honours

Bordeaux

Juventus

Real Madrid

International

Individual

Ballon d'Or awarded to Zidane in 1998.

Orders

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Zidane to retire after World Cup". BBC Sport. 2006-04-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4942564.stm. Retrieved on 2006-07-07. 
  2. ^ The Ones That Got Away...Zidane - VitalFootball.co.uk, 2006
  3. ^ "Zidane to retire after FIFA World Cup". Reuters. 2006-04-25. http://www.fifa.com/en/news/feature/0,1451,117237,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  4. ^ The scarred French messiah
  5. ^ Le Buteur magazine 7 May 2005
  6. ^ Brewin, John (2002-06-12). "Arrogant approach finishes favourites". ESPNsoccernet. http://worldcup.espnsoccernet.com/story?id=216185. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  7. ^ "Zidane quits French national team". CNN International. 2004-08-12. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/football/08/12/zidane.retirement/. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  8. ^ "Zidane & Makélélé back for France". BBC Sport. 2005-08-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/4743069.stm. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  9. ^ "France 3-0 Faroe Islands: Cisse double strike". ESPNsoccernet. 2005-09-03. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=178912. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  10. ^ Pugmire, Jerome (2006-05-27). "Malouda leads France past Mexico". Associated Press. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/WorldCup/Groups/G/2006/05/27/1601315-ap.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  11. ^ "FRANCE 1-1 KOREA REPUBLIC". FIFA. 2006-06-18. http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060618/1/7ua2.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  12. ^ "Man of the Match: Stage 2". FIFA. 2006-07-01. http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/mom/s2.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-02. 
  13. ^ a b "Zidane wins Golden Ball award". Reuters UK. 10 July 2006. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=2006-07-10T101142Z_01_L10691436_RTRIDST_0_SPORT-SOCCER-WORLD-ZIDANE-AWARD-UPDATE-1.XML&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. 
  14. ^ [http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202773095983/noticia/ComunicadoOficial/ANNOUNCEMENT_OF_THE_BOARD_OF_DIRECTORS.htm Real Madrid Board of Director Announcement
  15. ^ Zidane big fan of Celtic star Nakamura
  16. ^ United Nations Information Service Vienna (7 March 2001). French Soccer Champion Zinédine Zidane to Be Appointed. Press release. http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2001/note126.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-20. 
  17. ^ "The Best Paid Athletes". Forbes.com. 2004-06-24. http://www.forbes.com/2004/06/23/04athletesland.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-19. 
  18. ^ "Bangladesh hails 'messiah' Zidane". BBC. 7 November 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6123718.stm. Retrieved on 2006-11-12. 
  19. ^ Harrington, Rob (2009-04-01). "Dreams don't cost a thing". Independent Weekly. http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A355289. Retrieved on 2009-04-03. 
  20. ^ Stehli, Jean-Sébastien; Anne Vidalie, Paul Miquel (8 June 2006). "Icône malgré lui" (in French). L'Express. http://www.lexpress.fr/mag/sports/dossier/mondial-2006/dossier.asp?ida=438679&p=3. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  21. ^ Berthold, Von Norbert (2006-07-10). "Warum verdienen Fußballspieler so viel Geld?" (in German). FAZ.net. http://www.faz.net/s/RubEC1ACFE1EE274C81BCD3621EF555C83C/Doc~E0DB6C733FD4B4271BB2DF785640AD9EA~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-11. 
  22. ^ Zizou et les siens - nouvelobs.com (French)
  23. ^ Zidane profile - socceraddicts.com (dead link)
  24. ^ Victor García (2007-11-22). "Mi papá es jugador del Real Madrid" (in Spanish). ElConfidencial.com. http://www.elconfidencial.com/cache/2007/11/19/63_jugador_madrid.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-12. 
  25. ^ "Portada > Plantilla > Otras Categorías > Benjamín B" (in Spanish). RealMadrid.com. http://www.realmadrid.com/articulo/27083.htm. Retrieved on 2008-01-12. 
  26. ^ Zinedine Zidane Football Profile | News | Pictures - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
  27. ^ "France honors World Cup winners - Government gives Legion of Honor to players, coaches". CNN/SI. 1 September 1998. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/1998/09/01/france_legionhonor. Retrieved on 2006-07-20. 
  28. ^ "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel". JORF 1998 (170): 11376. 1998-07-25. PREX9801916D. http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnTexteDeJorf?numjo=PREX9801916D. Retrieved on 2009-03-08. 
  29. ^ "Décret du 31 décembre 2008 portant promotion et nomination". JORF 2009 (1): 15. 2009-01-01. PREX0828237D. http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnTexteDeJorf?numjo=PREX0828237D. Retrieved on 2009-03-08. 

External links


 
 
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