a écrit le 28 juin 2006 à 12h22 Zinedine Zidane’s career began in the backstreets of Marseilles where, at the age of 14, this son of Algerian immigrants was spotted by a talent scout and offered a place at the academy of AS Cannes.
Before he had even turned 17, Zidane broke through into the Cannes first team and during the 1990/91 season, he was already a part of the established eleven that failed to beat the drop at the end of the following campaign. After the team’s relegation, ‘Zizou’ signed for Bordeaux so he could continue to deploy his talents at the highest level.
Before long, Zidane was playing a starring role for Les Girondins and enjoyed his first taste of success during the 1995/96 season when Bordeaux reached the UEFA Cup Final. Although his side lost the match to Bayern Munich, it was his exploits at Bordeaux that confirmed Zizou’s status as a worthy successor to France’s legendary midfielder Michel Platini, whom he had incidentally encountered at first hand while serving as a ball boy at the 1984 UEFA European Championship.
Offered his first cap in 1994, the international debut of the kid from Marseilles could scarcely have been more emphatic: After coming on with les Bleus trailing the Czech Republic 2-0, the gifted Zizou turned the course of the match single-handedly by scoring twice.
But his full blossoming as an international took place during the 1995/96 season, which was followed by the European Championship in England. At the tournament, Aime Jacquet showed great faith in the Bordeaux player who, like the former national coach himself, was clearly endowed with the two key qualities that make a good player: excellent technique and unwavering determination.
Courtesy of some majestic performances both for club and for country, Zidane was soon being courted by a clutch of Europe’s top clubs. In the summer of 1996, he finally settled on Juventus of Italy, picking up his first silverware with his new club the same season when ‘the Old Lady’ defeated Argentine outfit River Plate to lift the Intercontinental Cup.
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.
Before he had even turned 17, Zidane broke through into the Cannes first team and during the 1990/91 season, he was already a part of the established eleven that failed to beat the drop at the end of the following campaign. After the team’s relegation, ‘Zizou’ signed for Bordeaux so he could continue to deploy his talents at the highest level.
Before long, Zidane was playing a starring role for Les Girondins and enjoyed his first taste of success during the 1995/96 season when Bordeaux reached the UEFA Cup Final. Although his side lost the match to Bayern Munich, it was his exploits at Bordeaux that confirmed Zizou’s status as a worthy successor to France’s legendary midfielder Michel Platini, whom he had incidentally encountered at first hand while serving as a ball boy at the 1984 UEFA European Championship.
Offered his first cap in 1994, the international debut of the kid from Marseilles could scarcely have been more emphatic: After coming on with les Bleus trailing the Czech Republic 2-0, the gifted Zizou turned the course of the match single-handedly by scoring twice.
But his full blossoming as an international took place during the 1995/96 season, which was followed by the European Championship in England. At the tournament, Aime Jacquet showed great faith in the Bordeaux player who, like the former national coach himself, was clearly endowed with the two key qualities that make a good player: excellent technique and unwavering determination.
Courtesy of some majestic performances both for club and for country, Zidane was soon being courted by a clutch of Europe’s top clubs. In the summer of 1996, he finally settled on Juventus of Italy, picking up his first silverware with his new club the same season when ‘the Old Lady’ defeated Argentine outfit River Plate to lift the Intercontinental Cup.
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.
