Zinedine "Yazid" Zidane

Fast Facts * 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

* 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.

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.

born 23 June 1972 in Marseille), popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a retired French football midfielder. He played professionally 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 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. He retired from professional football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

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 fourteen, 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 transferred to 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 Kenny Dalglish 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?"

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 €66 million, one of the most expensive transfer fee in football history, 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, 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, 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

Zidane holds dual citizenship in both France and Algeria, and therefore was eligible to play for the Algerian national team, but coach Abdelhamid Kermali allegedly denied him a position because he felt the young midfielder was not fast enough. Zidane dismissed the rumour in a 2005 interview, saying that playing for Algeria was out of the question since he had already suited up for France.

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 Eric 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 Euro 1996 semifinals in a penalty shootout by the Czech Republic after the match ended 0-0 in extra time.

He won the 1998 World Cup with France, scoring twice in the final against defending champions Brazil.

Zidane finished with two goals as France won 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.

On 12 June 2004, after France were eliminated in the Euro 2004 quarterfinals by eventual winners Greece, Zidane retired from international football. With the mass retirement of veteran key players such as Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly and others, France struggled to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. However, at the urging of coach Raymond Domenech, Zidane came out of retirement and was immediately reinstated as team captain. 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.

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.

2006 World Cup

After being suspended on yellow cards from the final match of the group stage, 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.

After scoring a seventh-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 WC final goals apiece. However, he was sent off in the 110th minute with the match tied 1-1, and 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, Zidane was nonetheless awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition.

Confrontation with Marco Materazzi

As Zidane and Italy defender Marco Materazzi were jogging up the pitch in close proximity of each other, they briefly exchanged words after Materazzi was seen tugging at Zidane's jersey before Zidane began to walk away from him. Moments later, Zidane suddenly stopped, turned around and rammed his head into Materazzi's chest, knocking him to the ground. Although play was halted, referee Horacio Elizondo did not appear to have seen the confrontation. According to match officials' reports, fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo informed Elizondo of the incident through his headset.

After consulting his assistants, Elizondo issued Zidane a red card in the 110th minute. It marked the fourteenth overall expulsion of Zidane's career, and joined him with Cameroon's Rigobert Song as the only players ever to be sent off during two separate World Cup tournaments. He also became the fourth player red-carded in a WC final, in addition to being the first sent off in extra time.

Provocation

After video evidence suggested that Materazzi had verbally provoked Zidane, three British media newspapers claimed to have hired lip readers to determine what Materazzi had said, with The Times, The Sun and Daily Star claiming that Materazzi called Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore." In 2008, The Sun and Daily Star made public apologies to Materazzi. The Times has yet to do so.

Zidane only partly explained that repeated harsh insults about his mother and sister had caused him to react. Materazzi admitted insulting Zidane, but argued that Zidane's behaviour had been very arrogant and that the remarks were trivial. Materazzi also insisted that he did not insult Zidane's mother (who was ill at the time), claiming, "I didn't talk about his mother, either. I lost my mother when I was fifteen, and even now I still get emotional talking about it."

Zidane replied that Materazzi had seriously and repeatedly insulted his mother and his sister. He apologized but added that he did not regret his offence because he felt that this would condone Materazzi's actions. Two months later, Materazzi offered his version of events, claiming that after he had grabbed Zidane's jersey, Zidane remarked, "If you want my shirt I will give it to you afterwards," and he replied to Zidane that he would prefer his sister, but claimed during the interview that he was unaware Zidane even had a sister. Over a year after the incident, Materazzi confirmed that his precise words to Zidane were: "Preferisco la puttana di tua sorella" (I prefer the whore that is your sister).

Reactions

After the final, French president Jacques Chirac hailed Zidane as a "man of heart and conviction". Chirac later added that he found the offence to be unacceptable, but he understood that Zidane had been provoked. However, French newspaper Le Figaro called the headbutt "odious" and "unacceptable". Time magazine regarded the incident as a symbol for Europe's "grappling with multi-culturalism". Despite the ongoing furore, Zidane's sponsors announced that they would stick with him.

The incident was extensively lampooned on the Internet and in popular culture. In addition to becoming a staple of parody via numerous online videos, a novelty song titled Coup de Boule ("Headbutt") reached the top of the French charts.

In light of Zidane's statements, FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings to investigate the incident. FIFA also affirmed the legality of Elizondo's decision to send Zidane off, rejecting claims that Cantalejo had illegally relied on video transmission to make a decision about handling Zidane's misconduct. FIFA issued a CHF 5,000 fine and a two-match ban against Materazzi, while Zidane received a three-match ban and a CHF 7,500 fine. Since Zidane had already retired, he voluntarily served three days of community service on FIFA's behalf as a substitute for the match ban.

A new book, The Hidden Face of Zidane, written by journalist Besma Lahouri and published in September 2008, revealed that Zidane had expressed his regrets for the incident during a conversation with his cousin.

Charity activities

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).

On 19 November 2007, Zidane took part in the fifth annual Match Against Poverty in Malaga, 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.”

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. 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.

Sponsorships

Zidane has had endorsements with many companies, including: Adidas, Lego, France Telecom, Orange, Audi, 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.

Personal life

Zidane is of Algerian Kabyle descent. His parents, Smail and Malika, 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.

Zidane met his wife, Veronique, while playing for Cannes in the 1988-89 season. Their sons, Enzo, Luca and Theo are part of Real Madrid Infantil B Team.

Honors

Bordeaux

* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1995
* UEFA Cup: Runner-up 1996

Juventus

* European Super Cup: 1996
* Intercontinental Cup: 1996
* Italian Super Cup: 1997
* Serie A: 1996-97, 1997-98
* UEFA Champions League: 1996-97, 1997-98
* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999

Real Madrid

* UEFA Champions League: 2001-02
* European Super Cup: 2002
* Intercontinental Cup: 2002
* La Liga: 2002-03
* Spanish Super Cup: 2001, 2003

International

* FIFA World Cup: 1998, runner up 2006
* UEFA European Championship: 2000

Individual

* Ligue 1 Best Young Player - 1994
* Ligue 1 Best Player - 1996
* UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder - 1998
* Ballon D'or - 1998
* UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament - 2000
* Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year - 1997, 2001
* Serie A Footballer of the Year - 2001
* Onze d'Or - 1998, 2000, 2001
* French Player of the Year - 1998, 2002
* UEFA Club Footballer of the Year - 2002
* UEFA Team of the Year - 2001, 2002, 2003
* FIFA World Player of the Year - 1998, 2000, 2003
* UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll - 2004
* FIFA 100
* UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament - 2000, 2004
* FIFA World Cup Golden Ball - 2006
* FIFA World Cup All-Star Team - 1998, 2006
* FIFPro World XI All-Star Team - 2005, 2006

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