a écrit le 28 juin 2006 à 12h21 This opening taste of silverware was soon followed by a pair of Italian titles, in 1997 and 1998. And that summer, Zizou added the ultimate prize to his honours list when he inspired France to their 1998 FIFA World Cupâ„¢ triumph in front of their own fans in Paris.
Winning double
During the final against Brazil at the Stade de France, he bagged his first two goals of the FIFA World Cup to become the undisputed star of the tournament. Then, in the summer of 2000, France underlined their supremacy by winning the European Championship, prompting the world’s national team coaches to again, after 1998, name him FIFA World Player of the Year.
One year later, Zidane was signed by Real Madrid for a world record €73m and he has been well worth it to Real, regaling the Santiago Bernabeu with unique acts of skill, providing his team-mates with pinpoint passes and scoring stunning goals. His finest ‘work’ was a supersonic volley that brought Real victory in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen and that said all there was to say about a fantastic player at the peak of his powers.
Injured in France’s final warm-up game for Korea/Japan 2002, Zizou was only able to appear in the last of les Bleus’ three matches in their ill-fated campaign. Two years later, at Euro 2004 in Portugal, he saved his side from an opening-game defeat against England by netting twice in the final two minutes (2-1). But the subsequent elimination by Greece, combined with the legendary number 10’s mental and physical burn-out, led him to call time early on his international career.
At least, that was until the summer of 2005 when, after enjoying his first long holiday for many years, he was no longer able to resist the lure of the national team shirt. After backtracking on his decision, he returned to help guide France through the qualification minefield to Germany 2006. Now aged 34, Zidane will grace his last international competition this summer.
Winning double
During the final against Brazil at the Stade de France, he bagged his first two goals of the FIFA World Cup to become the undisputed star of the tournament. Then, in the summer of 2000, France underlined their supremacy by winning the European Championship, prompting the world’s national team coaches to again, after 1998, name him FIFA World Player of the Year.
One year later, Zidane was signed by Real Madrid for a world record €73m and he has been well worth it to Real, regaling the Santiago Bernabeu with unique acts of skill, providing his team-mates with pinpoint passes and scoring stunning goals. His finest ‘work’ was a supersonic volley that brought Real victory in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen and that said all there was to say about a fantastic player at the peak of his powers.
Injured in France’s final warm-up game for Korea/Japan 2002, Zizou was only able to appear in the last of les Bleus’ three matches in their ill-fated campaign. Two years later, at Euro 2004 in Portugal, he saved his side from an opening-game defeat against England by netting twice in the final two minutes (2-1). But the subsequent elimination by Greece, combined with the legendary number 10’s mental and physical burn-out, led him to call time early on his international career.
At least, that was until the summer of 2005 when, after enjoying his first long holiday for many years, he was no longer able to resist the lure of the national team shirt. After backtracking on his decision, he returned to help guide France through the qualification minefield to Germany 2006. Now aged 34, Zidane will grace his last international competition this summer.
