In the 2006 World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane ascended to the pinnacle of European and world football for the second and final time...
But within a few short moments, everything disappeared...
Was his behavior a surprise... or expected?
Especially when we delve into his football career.
A career that transcended the obsession with numbers and statistics,
A career that gave a new understanding of football stardom,
The career of an artist who inspired an entire generation,
The career of a man overcome by emotions...
This is the story of Zinedine Zidane...
From the beginnings in the streets of La Castellane Marseille, to the professional beginnings at Cannes and Bordeaux. From playing under a winner like Marcelo Lippi at Juventus, to playing at the Santiago Bernabéu with Real Madrid. And from his international debut with the French national team in 1994, to his tragic final with Les Blues at the 2006 world cup final.
All of this and more will be covered in this documentary about Zinedine Zidane.
But within a few short moments, everything disappeared...
Was his behavior a surprise... or expected?
Especially when we delve into his football career.
A career that transcended the obsession with numbers and statistics,
A career that gave a new understanding of football stardom,
The career of an artist who inspired an entire generation,
The career of a man overcome by emotions...
This is the story of Zinedine Zidane...
From the beginnings in the streets of La Castellane Marseille, to the professional beginnings at Cannes and Bordeaux. From playing under a winner like Marcelo Lippi at Juventus, to playing at the Santiago Bernabéu with Real Madrid. And from his international debut with the French national team in 1994, to his tragic final with Les Blues at the 2006 world cup final.
All of this and more will be covered in this documentary about Zinedine Zidane.
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SportTranscription
00:00:01In the 2006 World Cup Final, Zinedine Zidane ascended to the pinnacle of European and world
00:00:06football for the second and final time.
00:00:10But within a few short moments, everything disappeared.
00:00:17Was it a surprise or expected, especially when we delve into his footballing career?
00:00:22A career that transcended the obsession with stats.
00:00:26A career that gave a new understanding of footballing stardom.
00:00:29The career of an artist who inspired an entire generation.
00:00:33The career of a man overcome by emotions.
00:00:36This is the story of Zinedine Zidane.
00:00:59I said yes, it's true that I'm done for this club.
00:01:05When I'm on the ground, I say I want to be champion of the world.
00:01:13I'm not proud of what I've done, but it's part of my career.
00:01:22The story of Zinedine Zidane.
00:01:32Le Castellon, Marseille, southern France.
00:01:35The youngest of five children was born in 1972 to two Algerian parents.
00:01:41His name was Zinedine Zidane.
00:01:43Zinedine, or Yazid as he was called when he was a child, grew up in a district in Marseille,
00:01:49which was known for its hardship.
00:01:51Le Castellon had a delicate social setting, filled with several dangerous influences, such
00:01:57as drug trafficking and arm smuggling.
00:02:00It was easy for a young child to be swayed, to be influenced by the darkness.
00:02:05But Yazid had a strong family that protected him at all times.
00:02:09His father Ismail was a strict but fair man.
00:02:12Zinedine talked about his father Ismail and said, my father taught me everything, but most
00:02:18of all, he taught me the value of respect.
00:02:21This helped him focus on his newly found passion, which was football.
00:02:25In the uneven streets of Marseille, Yazid acquired his world class technique.
00:02:30It was also there where people around him discovered how impulsive he was.
00:02:35When he came back home early from a match, his family knew that he was sent off from the
00:02:39game and sent back home.
00:02:41In an under 13 football tournament, the final was halted after Zinedine headbutted an opponent.
00:02:48Years had passed and Zinedine became a teenager with immense technical abilities.
00:02:54He played for several youth clubs in Marseille at that time as the game slowly became a sport.
00:03:00And now questions were asked by his father Ismail, can my son be a professional football
00:03:05player?
00:03:06Scouts came and left Marseille without noticing Yazid's talent.
00:03:10He participated in several training camps and tournaments which were aimed to showcase
00:03:14young talent in the region.
00:03:16But Zinedine was not eye-catching enough for the scouts.
00:03:20Then comes Jean Varro, a scout from Cannes, assigned to watch other players in a youth
00:03:24tournament within the region.
00:03:25He was amazed by Yazid and said, I saw this kid.
00:03:30He had hands where his feet should have been.
00:03:33Jean brought Zidane to Cannes for a six-month trial.
00:03:36As scouts wrote down his attributes and shortcomings, he had to work on his aerial game given his
00:03:41height.
00:03:42And he had to work on his tactics and football mind.
00:03:45And he had to improve his physique.
00:03:48But other than that, the coaches at Cannes were impressed by Zidane's footballing abilities
00:03:53and was officially joining the club.
00:03:56In the summer of 1987, Cannes successfully got promoted to the first division of the
00:04:03French league by having a clear philosophy, which was promoting youth talents to the first
00:04:08team.
00:04:09For the first time in Zidane's life, he saw the prospect of being a professional as realistic.
00:04:14Yazid played with the second team straight away without going through the younger age
00:04:18groups.
00:04:19They wanted him to experience professional football as the second team was playing in
00:04:23the French third division.
00:04:24Cannes' coaching staff used to always stress the importance of playing within a team to
00:04:29Zidane.
00:04:30But they never drilled out the playfulness and talent with the ball that he had for the
00:04:34sake of tactical discipline as we see today.
00:04:37And Zidane was different from the other players in his age group in terms of professionalism
00:04:42and attitude, either on the pitch or off it.
00:04:45And Yazid was always willing to listen at all times.
00:04:48One of the key advices he received early on in his career was from the Cannes technical
00:04:53director, Gilles Rampion.
00:04:54As he said to Zidane, you have to see quickly, you have to know who you're going to pass the
00:05:00ball to even before you receive it.
00:05:02His progress was evident and then it was rewarded with a professional debut in the first team
00:05:07on May of 1989 at only 16 years of age.
00:05:11It was no longer a question asked by his father Ismail.
00:05:15There was no doubt that Zidane would be a professional football player.
00:05:20Cannes struggled in the following season, as the manager Jean Fernandez was reluctant
00:05:24to involve young players, which meant that Zidane would have to wait a whole year before
00:05:29he played again in the first team.
00:05:31In the 1991 season, Cannes brought in the Yugoslavian manager Boro Primorak.
00:05:36He saw Zidane as his potential starting playmaker in his lineup.
00:05:41Despite his clear and obvious talent, Zidane had to be mentally strong to endure the challenges
00:05:47of the season in front of him.
00:05:48As after Cannes struggled in the first half of the league campaign, the club received massive
00:05:53criticism and the youngster Zidane was not immune to them.
00:05:57But results gradually improved for Cannes, as Zidane managed to score his first professional
00:06:02goal in February of 1991 in a league match against Nantes.
00:06:10This fantastic upturn in results earned Zidane and his teammates a UEFA Cup position after
00:06:15finishing in fourth place.
00:06:17But Champagne quickly turned into tears in the following season, which was immensely difficult
00:06:22for the club.
00:06:24Cannes cemented himself in the starting lineup in the 91-92 season, but found it difficult
00:06:29to cope as the team was not good enough and was relegated to the second division at the
00:06:34end of the season.
00:06:36Zidane was facing again a serious roadblock in his young career.
00:06:44Despite Cannes being relegated and the overall disappointing season, Zidane garnered some attention
00:06:49from other clubs.
00:06:50Marseille had secretly agreed a purchase priority on Zidane a year prior, but the Marseille directors
00:06:56no longer seemed interested in the player after the season he played.
00:07:00The Marseille manager Raymond Gautaz at that time saw that Zidane was too slow.
00:07:05The head of the training academy at Cannes, Gilles Lacombe, didn't want to see Zidane stay
00:07:09in the second division, as he just turned 20 at that time and that may slow down his development.
00:07:15But the club faced difficulties in selling Zidane at the right price.
00:07:19Lacombe started to make some calls.
00:07:21He first called Monaco manager Arsene Wenger, who said that Zidane didn't improve in his
00:07:26last season and declined the offer to buy him.
00:07:29No club was willing to pay the 6 million francs that the Cannes president was asking for
00:07:33young Yazid, which was only around a million dollars at that time.
00:07:38Bordeaux came to Cannes to buy two players, Jean-Francois and Eric Gueret.
00:07:43They eventually left with a third player, which was Zidane.
00:07:46He only cost them 3.5 million francs at the end.
00:07:50Bordeaux had just gone up to the first division after they were relegated because of financial
00:07:54implications, but were now ready to rebuild the team yet again.
00:07:58Bordeaux's manager Roland Corby helped Zidane to adapt to the new environment, and he was
00:08:03also the first to nickname him Zizou.
00:08:06At Bordeaux, Zidane would form a strong footballing partnership with the striker Christophe Dugary
00:08:11and full-back Pichenti Lizarazu, as the French trio succeeded together to qualify to the UEFA
00:08:16Cup in the last match of the season, while Zidane had his best goal-scoring season of his
00:08:21career as he scored 11 goals in all competitions.
00:08:25You could clearly see an early version of Zidane's trademark style and playmaking.
00:08:30He was showing glimpses of all the technique and skills that would later make him the
00:08:34best in the world.
00:08:35Superb ball control, fantastic technique, long strides, beautiful passes, and even long efforts
00:08:51on goal, which reflects huge confidence in his abilities.
00:08:57It was only a matter of working on his fitness, as he didn't complete the majority of the
00:09:02matches in his first season with the club.
00:09:04Zidane continued to develop in the following season, and had a good showing in his second
00:09:09European competition participation.
00:09:11He also added a new skill during that season, direct free kicks, as he scored a beautiful
00:09:16free kick against the German keeper Oliver Kahn.
00:09:19That season also showed us another side of Zidane, a side that lashes out and has a temper,
00:09:31a side that would show when he played in the streets of Marseille as a kid, and that negative
00:09:36side would appear as a result of the beatings he would receive in each match.
00:09:40In his first official match against Marseille, Desailles was playing aggressively against
00:09:45Zidane the whole match, as Zidane finally decided to retaliate.
00:09:59The manager Kobe tried to channel this negative energy of Zidane in a positive manner, and
00:10:04that helped Zidane deliver good performances throughout the season, as he won the French
00:10:09League Young Player of the Year award, and earned his first official cap for the national
00:10:13team at 22 years of age.
00:10:16He entered as a sub, with Le Bleu losing by two goals against the Czech national team,
00:10:21and delivered a debut for the ages.
00:10:34And there was a very good battle!
00:10:43Yes!
00:10:44Yes!
00:10:45Again, Zidane, there was a good opportunity!
00:10:51I never would have come to only hit two goals ... in every category of all match.
00:10:56It would be a minimum or an effort ... so two goals will not be done.
00:11:00Despite the ups and downs for Boudou in the 94-95 season,
00:11:05the team still managed to qualify again to the UEFA Cup
00:11:08after winning the Inter-Toto Cup in the summer of 1995.
00:11:13And if ever there was a period where Zidane garnered real European attention,
00:11:17it would be the UEFA Cup campaign Boudou had in the 95-96 season.
00:11:22Despite the struggles of the team in the league,
00:11:24Boudou managed to get all the way to the UEFA Cup final.
00:11:27The trio of Zidane, Dougari, and Lizarazu played a huge part in that feat.
00:11:32The attention for Zizou started in an away match against Batiste in the round of 16,
00:11:37as Zidane scored one of his most famous goals ever.
00:11:50It seemed that Zizou improved in each European round,
00:11:55as his next match against the Italian champions Milan
00:11:58is considered one of the highlights of his career,
00:12:01as he mentioned in an interview recently.
00:12:04Despite Boudou losing the first leg by two goals to nil at the San Siro,
00:12:08and after a battle in midfield with Dissay and Vieira,
00:12:12Zidane and co. welcomed the Italians for the second leg at L'Escue,
00:12:16and managed to deliver a historic comeback.
00:12:18Zidane's goal is to turn up to the M. Kakao,
00:12:28and it's a great goal to win!
00:12:30And Gari!
00:12:31And Gari!
00:12:32And he doesn't get back to it.
00:12:33And he's still not a good goal to win!
00:12:35Zidane will take one to Gari in the surface!
00:12:38And he's got to win!
00:12:40Super!
00:12:42What a goal!
00:12:44Christophe Gari 3-0 for Bordeaux!
00:12:46That huge defeat was the first time that the Rossigneri would concede three goals in Europe in 11 years.
00:12:54Bourdieu would go on to beat Slavia Prague in the semi-finals to set up a final against German side Bayern München.
00:13:01Both Zidane and Dugary were suspended for the first leg as Bourdieu lost by two goals in Germany
00:13:07and never managed to come back from that in the second leg as Bayern lifted the UEFA Cup.
00:13:12Zizou managed to finish the season strongly by scoring two goals in the last match of the league season against Nantes
00:13:18and was voted as Player of the Year in France.
00:13:21He was ready to participate in his first official tournament with the French national team in the summer of 1996 and through the European Championship.
00:13:31But Zidane was not effective during the tournament as he had just come back from an injury sustained in a car accident in the beginning of the year and was not at his best.
00:13:40The French team was out in the semi-final round after losing a long and grueling match via a penalty shootout to the Czechs.
00:13:48Zidane couldn't deliver at the level that was expected from him.
00:13:51It was hard to cope with the criticism aimed at the youngster who was 24 at that time.
00:13:57He had to wait a little bit longer before delivering his best for Le Bleu.
00:14:02Within the European Championship, Zidane made his intentions clear in leaving Bordeaux.
00:14:12Juventus were interested in Zizou for a while.
00:14:15So after long negotiations, the French club agreed to sell Zidane to Juve for 3.5 million euros only.
00:14:22Zidane chose the squad number 21, which is a reflection of his modesty, as he joined the European Champions and never asked for a number that suits his position better.
00:14:32He wanted to fit in quickly.
00:14:34But to fit in at Juve, he had to endure the rigorous training sessions at the Bianconeri.
00:14:39Zizou was warned by his French compatriot and Juve player Didier Dichon about the exhausting training sessions in Turin and about the importance of maintaining high fitness levels throughout the season.
00:14:50And this is all thanks to the famous physical trainer Giampiero Ventroni, who was nicknamed the Marine in Italy.
00:14:57Throughout the preseason in the summer, Zidane was put through the ultimate tests of fitness and later confessed that he was often at the brink of vomiting at the end of these ruthless training sessions.
00:15:09Though Zidane wanted the challenge, that's why he joined the Champions of Italy and Europe.
00:15:14But he struggled to adapt on the pitch in the first few months.
00:15:17He was deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in Marcello Lippi's formation.
00:15:22And with him in the midfield were Antonio Conti and his compatriot Deschon in the Juve manager's 4-3-3 formation.
00:15:29Zizou failed to leave his mark.
00:15:31Italian media outlets started to write negative pieces on the failure of the Zidane transfer.
00:15:37La Repubblica even wrote about the Frenchman and said,
00:15:40A cross-country runner thrown into a pack of possessed sprinters.
00:15:44Even his manager Marcello Lippi dropped Zidane in a match away at Rapid Vienna within the Champions League group stages.
00:15:51Everything changed when Antonio Conti was injured with the national team, which pushed Lippi to change the formation to a 4-4-2.
00:15:58Zidane played in the beginning as a left-sided midfielder.
00:16:01But eventually Lippi found the most suitable position, which was a playmaker behind the two strikers.
00:16:06He was not a traditional No. 10, as Zidane would often receive passes deep in his half
00:16:11and would drive forward with the ball in two dangerous areas of the pitch.
00:16:16His goal against rivals Inter Milan in October helped erase some of the doubts around his transfer.
00:16:26Zizou would quickly adapt with each passing match and slowly but surely would prove to be a pivotal player in a team filled with stars.
00:16:34He received the trust of critics and the love of the UV fans and helped the team win the Intercontinental Cup against River Plate
00:16:42and win his first ever title in football.
00:16:45He also finally met his footballing idol Enzo Francescoli and traded jerseys with him.
00:16:50I'm not sure what's more valuable for Zizou, the cup or Enzo's kit.
00:16:55UV went on to lift the UEFA Super Cup as well after beating PSG.
00:16:59But the Bianconeri were aiming for the double just as they did in the previous season, the double of league and Champions League titles.
00:17:06While Zizou was pivotal in Juve winning their 24th Scudetto, the Champions League title was another story.
00:17:12Despite the ever-changing striking options at Juve that season, with the struggles of Del Piero and Bocic with injuries and loss of form as well,
00:17:21Zidane on the other hand was a mainstay in that team behind the strikers.
00:17:24And his first ever career appearance in the Champions League was a huge success.
00:17:29After showing out in the group stage and quarterfinals, Zidane's real arrival as a star on this Juve side happened in his match against Ajax in the semifinals.
00:17:39After Juve won the first leg away, Zizou had a performance to remember at the Dele Alpi,
00:17:44as the Frenchman showcased all his abilities that night.
00:17:48Skill and technique.
00:17:54Playmaking.
00:17:57And a cool head in front of goal.
00:17:59It was definitely the match that made Zidane a true star, and the Frenchman recently described this performance as his best in his career.
00:18:14Unfortunately for Zidane, his abilities were not enough to affect the Champions League final against Dortmund,
00:18:20as the Bianconeri lost by three goals to win.
00:18:22Zizou was man-marked by Paul Lampert, who succeeded to a degree in neutralizing the Frenchman.
00:18:28Overall, it was a successful first season for Zidane in Italy.
00:18:32He quickly adapted in the best and most difficult league in the world,
00:18:36and he did that without changing his style of play.
00:18:39Zidane would later describe that season as a turning point in his career,
00:18:43and said,
00:18:44Marcello Lippi was like a light switch for me.
00:18:47Before arriving in Italy, football was a job, sure,
00:18:51but most of all, it was about enjoying myself.
00:18:54After I arrived in Juve, the desire to win things took over.
00:18:58And never left me.
00:19:00Zidane continued where he left off in the following season.
00:19:03With the arrival of Atalanta striker Alpip Bonzaghi,
00:19:06Zidane would form a dangerous trio with Del Piero and Nzaghi up front,
00:19:10which was considered the most dangerous trio in the league.
00:19:12That season, Lippi relied on a free-flowing attack rather than a tight defense,
00:19:17as Juve were top goal scorers in the Italian league.
00:19:20Zidane thrived in this formation, scoring 11 goals,
00:19:23and provided 15 assists in all competitions within the season.
00:19:27Zidane was given more freedom to roam and influence matches,
00:19:31just as he did in France.
00:19:33This is part thanks to the arrival of the Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids in the Winter Mercato,
00:19:38as Lippi switched from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-1-2,
00:19:42with the Frenchman keeping his place behind the strikers.
00:19:45Davids and Zidane had very different styles,
00:19:47as the elegant meets the destroyer.
00:19:50But despite these differences in style,
00:19:53they both shared the same football mind.
00:19:55As Davids said,
00:19:57It's about feelings, about knowing football on a certain level,
00:20:00and we both understood football on the same level.
00:20:04Juve won the Scudetto again,
00:20:06but management always strived for the European Cup.
00:20:09After Zidane got a taste of the Champions League for the first time the previous season,
00:20:13he seemed comfortable again,
00:20:14as he scored three goals and provided seven assists in 11 matches.
00:20:19The Bianconeri were back in the Champions League final for the third consecutive season.
00:20:28In a pivotal away match against Dinamo Kiev in the quarterfinals,
00:20:33Zidane provided a hat-trick of assists to both Nzaghi and Del Piero.
00:20:37One of those assists was an outrageous piece of skill
00:20:40that reflects Zizou's confidence and ingenuity.
00:20:44But it was disappointment at the final again,
00:20:53this time against Real Madrid.
00:20:55Zidane faced a trio in the middle of the pitch,
00:20:57which consisted of Redondo, Carimbo, and Seedorf,
00:21:00whom took turns marking the Frenchman throughout the match.
00:21:04Despite that, Zizou played well,
00:21:06but the Bianconeri lost yet another final,
00:21:08as this time criticism was aimed towards Zizou.
00:21:11They didn't consider him a big game player.
00:21:14As for the second time in a row,
00:21:16he failed to deliver in the most important match of the season.
00:21:21Zidane can decide matches and win titles.
00:21:24France were hosts of the 1998 World Cup,
00:21:37but far from being favorites.
00:21:39Despite a fantastic record entering the tournament,
00:21:42it was viewed as a flawed team.
00:21:44The final squad announcement was met with criticism.
00:21:47The national manager, Eimei Jacquet, was also not universally supported.
00:21:52It was clear that they had to prove themselves with each match in the tournament.
00:21:57But one thing was for sure,
00:21:59Zidane would be the star of this team,
00:22:01the number 10,
00:22:02the main conductor behind the attacking trio.
00:22:05France won their opener convincingly against South Africa.
00:22:09Zidane assisted Dugary just as he did at Bordeaux in the past.
00:22:12Saudi Arabia came next.
00:22:15Despite a comfortable win,
00:22:16Zizou was unsettled again
00:22:18by the constant barrage of tackles from the Saudis,
00:22:21which led to him losing his temper once again.
00:22:23He became the first French player to be sent off in World Cup history.
00:22:39Zizou was suspended for two matches.
00:22:42The first match without him was straightforward,
00:22:44as Le Bleu was already through to the knockout round.
00:22:47But the round of 16 match without Zidane was a tough task.
00:22:51France faced Paraguay.
00:22:52Zidane was in the stands,
00:22:54helpless and frustrated.
00:22:56After a goal is draw in regulation time,
00:22:59the two teams went to extra time.
00:23:01And with the penalty shootout looming,
00:23:03the breakthrough for Le Bleu finally came.
00:23:09It was now time for Zidane to continue the objective.
00:23:13It was time to prove himself yet again.
00:23:16The next match was against the Italians.
00:23:18Zizou focused on the defensive collective
00:23:20and was tightly marked by his Juve teammate Pissotto,
00:23:24who didn't give him an inch.
00:23:26With no goals from either team,
00:23:28the match went to penalties.
00:23:30Zidane decided to take the first spot kick
00:23:32and he converted it successfully.
00:23:34With both the French and Italians missing one each,
00:23:40it all came down to Di Biagio for the Azzurri in the last kick.
00:23:44And he missed.
00:23:49Le Bleu were in the semi-final round.
00:23:52They faced a tough Croatian team that won against Germany by three goals to nil.
00:23:56The Croatians scored first,
00:23:57but France managed to come back thanks to a rare double by defender Lillian Thuram.
00:24:06Le Bleu were in the final.
00:24:09Despite the team doing well in reaching the stage,
00:24:12the skeptics of Zidane were not silenced.
00:24:14France played 370 minutes with Zizou
00:24:17and 224 minutes without him because of suspension.
00:24:21Dugari scored,
00:24:22Lizarazu scored,
00:24:24but apart from a successful penalty in the shootout against Italy
00:24:27and a single assist from a corner in the opener against South Africa,
00:24:31Zidane didn't deliver what was expected.
00:24:35We know he has the talent,
00:24:36the skills,
00:24:37the mastery of the ball,
00:24:39but as the previous seasons had shown us,
00:24:41he still doesn't deliver when asked on the biggest of stages.
00:24:45He had to prove that wrong against Brazil in the final.
00:24:48Although Brazil had their issues behind the scenes,
00:24:51the mystery behind Ronaldo's illness,
00:24:53the media attacks on the Brazil coach Zagallo
00:24:56and his limited style of play
00:24:57and the overwhelming support for the French,
00:25:00it felt that Brazil had lost the match before it even started,
00:25:04but Le Bleu still had to go out there and win.
00:25:07In the 27th minute,
00:25:09Emmanuel Petit took a corner
00:25:11and in a single moment,
00:25:14Zidane's career was forever changed.
00:25:18Zidane!
00:25:22Lift up for France!
00:25:25Zidane,
00:25:25usually a restrained man,
00:25:27had felt euphoria.
00:25:29Jumping above the sponsor rails,
00:25:31it was an out-of-body experience.
00:25:33And the man they love to call Zizou
00:25:35has given France the perfect start.
00:25:38A second corner to truly kill the match,
00:25:40and in another second,
00:25:42Zidane's entire life was forever changed.
00:25:46Zidane!
00:25:46He played with freedom and expressed himself,
00:25:55just as he did at Cannes and Bordeaux.
00:25:57He was freed of all the burden.
00:26:03Le Bleu sealed the final with a third goal.
00:26:05They were world champions for the first time in their history.
00:26:09Nobody thought it was possible a month prior.
00:26:12Zinedine Zidane was the man of the hour,
00:26:14the undisputed hero.
00:26:16The party started in the Parc des Princes,
00:26:27and continued in the streets of Paris and all around France.
00:26:32Zizou, for president, was being chanted in the Champs-Elysees.
00:26:36Zidane realized that his days of anonymity were over.
00:26:39Two goals, two seconds, and his life was changed forever.
00:26:44The 98-99 season started as all Juventus' seasons start,
00:26:57full of ambition and hope as ever.
00:27:00But it was one of the most disappointing seasons for both Zidane and the club.
00:27:05The season started well as Zidane was awarded the Ballon d'Or for his contributions throughout the calendar year of 98,
00:27:12and especially for what he did at the World Cup.
00:27:16But the positives of the season end there.
00:27:19In November, Zidane would receive a red card against Inter,
00:27:22which was like the signal for what's to come.
00:27:24The following match was much more catastrophic as Alessandro Delpierre would suffer a major knee injury against Udine,
00:27:32which hugely affected the Bianconeri's ambitions for the rest of the season.
00:27:37Bad results continued all the way to February for Juve,
00:27:40when Marcello Lippi decided to step down from his position.
00:27:44After a local-room kerfuffle with Deschamps and disagreements with management,
00:27:48he was immediately replaced by a young Carlo Ancelotti.
00:27:52Despite the failure in the league, the Bianconeri managed to get all the way to the semi-final stage of the Champions League.
00:27:59The title Zidane has long been waiting to lift.
00:28:02After 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Man United,
00:28:05Zidane dropped a hint to the English reporters,
00:28:08which escalated into a big story on the eve of the second leg.
00:28:13Zidane told the English press that he has friends in Spain,
00:28:16and his wife's family were there as well,
00:28:19and that he would like to play there someday.
00:28:21Juve owner Gianni Agnelli was asked about Zidane's comments,
00:28:25and said,
00:28:26Zidane is not suffering from homesickness,
00:28:28he is suffering because he is under the control of his wife.
00:28:32As always, Zidane didn't respond to these comments,
00:28:35and played a good match in the second leg against United at the Dele Alpi.
00:28:39But Juve were eliminated,
00:28:41as Man United were destined for greatness that season.
00:28:45The Bianconeri ended the season trophy-less,
00:28:47and finished in 7th position in the league.
00:28:49As for Zidane,
00:28:51whom injured his knee back in March,
00:28:53suffered a relapse in May,
00:28:55and the Frenchman decided to do surgery on it,
00:28:58which made him miss around a month or so.
00:29:00But he would be ready for the beginning of the 99-2000 season.
00:29:04As the new season rolled in,
00:29:12Zidane was caught up in the Italian doping scandal.
00:29:15The controversy started when Roma's manager Zdenic Zimane
00:29:18accused several Italian clubs,
00:29:20mainly the Bianconeri,
00:29:22of using performance enhancers.
00:29:24Zidane's name popped up in the investigation,
00:29:27but he denied all the accusations,
00:29:29and later revealed in 2004 that he only took supplements like creatine
00:29:34and some vitamin injections.
00:29:36Despite this controversy,
00:29:38Zizou remained focused on giving his all for the Bianconeri.
00:29:41The rumours slowly died down,
00:29:43as the Frenchman started well,
00:29:45and the team slowly shifted into gear
00:29:47with a dangerous trio of Inzaghi, Del Piero, and Zidane.
00:29:50Zizou looked back to his best,
00:29:52after scoring a beautiful goal against Regina.
00:30:00Despite it not being one of Zidane's best seasons on paper,
00:30:04on the contrary, it is rather far from it.
00:30:07He scored five goals and provided three assists in all competitions.
00:30:11His tally for the season even includes an own goal.
00:30:14But that is the cardinal mistake when talking about Zidane in the present time.
00:30:19Today, we are more pressed to look at stats to inform us,
00:30:23to strengthen our case.
00:30:24We are obsessed by it.
00:30:26Just like in baseball,
00:30:27where all discussion surrounding that sport almost entirely ended,
00:30:31because of the strong and definitive grasp statistics had on it.
00:30:35But the topic of Zinedine Zidane was never the topic about stats.
00:30:39Football is much more complicated than that.
00:30:42The real value of a player transcends stats.
00:30:45Of course, it's a sport reliant on goals.
00:30:47But the value of a player is gauged along with context.
00:30:51A midfielder in the 90s and early 2000s
00:30:54is not expected to boost these crazy numbers we see today.
00:30:58Strikers and second strikers at that time were kings.
00:31:02They claim most of the attacking involvement of a team,
00:31:05whether that's goals or assists.
00:31:07Even the term assists was not widely used back then
00:31:10and was not officially counted
00:31:12when Zidane began his professional career in the early 90s.
00:31:16This is not an excuse or a reason to ignore Zizou's stats
00:31:20and not another way of saying the cliched phrase of
00:31:23you had to see it to believe it.
00:31:25Everybody is free to shape their own opinion.
00:31:28But to understand Zidane and his legacy,
00:31:31you have to see it with your own eyes.
00:31:33So, let us see it together.
00:31:35I would like to present to you a match Zidane played away at Parma
00:31:39in January of the year 2000.
00:31:41It was a match between second and third in the league table.
00:31:45Parma were a very strong team,
00:31:46especially in defense,
00:31:48which had Buffon, Turam and Cannavaro.
00:31:51The pitch was bouncy and in bad shape.
00:31:53The tackles were fierce
00:31:54and the pressure was huge.
00:31:57This is a match where Zidane had no goals
00:31:59or even a single assist.
00:32:01But, don't let that deceive you.
00:32:04Because of Zidane's unique skill and prowess,
00:32:07opponents are gravitated to him
00:32:08unlike any other player.
00:32:10Almost Maradona-esque,
00:32:12he teases with the ball,
00:32:14asking for someone to tackle him,
00:32:16to intercept it.
00:32:17Let's focus on this possession in the first half.
00:32:20Zidane collects the ball after a 1-2 with Pissotto
00:32:23and instantly was pressed by two players.
00:32:25He wriggles away brilliantly,
00:32:28only to find the third player barging in.
00:32:30It's his French teammate, Lillian Turam,
00:32:33who was not thinking of Zidane as a friend,
00:32:36nor was he thinking of the upcoming
00:32:37European Championship in the summer.
00:32:39But he absolutely clatters into him with studs up.
00:32:43Zidane got the foul,
00:32:44but he didn't stop there.
00:32:46Even in that moment,
00:32:47he still played the right ball to his teammate
00:32:49in a dangerous position,
00:32:51continuing to do his job without complaints,
00:32:53without crying and without acting.
00:32:57The match goes on,
00:32:58and Zidane continues on his way.
00:33:01Zidane continued evading stiff tackles
00:33:03and attracting double and even triple markers.
00:33:06But despite that,
00:33:08he still found his teammates in open spaces,
00:33:11handing them goal-scoring opportunities.
00:33:13This is, in a nutshell, Zidane's value,
00:33:16just like Stephen Curry in the NBA,
00:33:18as he attracts defenders towards him
00:33:20because he's the best shooter in history,
00:33:22which opens up spaces for his teammates
00:33:24to attack and score.
00:33:26Not entirely on the same scale,
00:33:28but Zidane is fairly similar.
00:33:31What makes Zidane unique
00:33:32is that he has an aggressive side as well.
00:33:35Look at this position.
00:33:36Zidane intercepts the ball,
00:33:38but Cannavaro crashes into him.
00:33:40Zidane amazingly stays on his feet
00:33:42and even gets a cheeky kick in as well.
00:33:45How can a player be so elegant with the ball
00:33:47and also have aggressive moments like these?
00:33:50What's funny is that the ref didn't even whistle for a foul,
00:33:53and the match continued just as if nothing happened.
00:33:56On top of all of this,
00:33:57Zidane still managed to create clear-cut chances
00:34:00that were not converted.
00:34:02Here again,
00:34:03his gravity is pulling defenders out of position.
00:34:06Three defenders surround him,
00:34:08which opens up space for a pass
00:34:09to Zambarota on the right side,
00:34:11which in the end leads to a penalty.
00:34:14Does the Frenchman get anything for that on paper?
00:34:17No.
00:34:18Was he a key contributor in that play?
00:34:21Absolutely.
00:34:26An additional three clear-cut chances
00:34:28Zidane created for Del Piero and Inzaghi were wasted.
00:34:32Zizou could have easily walked out of the match
00:34:34with a good showing on paper,
00:34:37but he didn't.
00:34:37Did that take away from his value on the pitch?
00:34:41Of course not.
00:34:42This is only a single example of several hundred
00:34:45which showcases Zidane's value
00:34:47and what the stats fail to reflect.
00:34:50Some historians these days claim
00:34:52that most of Zidane's seasons at club level were average
00:34:55and that he's more reliant on aesthetics
00:34:57than being effective on the pitch.
00:35:00I agree and disagree with this notion.
00:35:02Yes, some people overvalue Zizou's career today.
00:35:06And yes, he was not always playing at the highest of levels consistently.
00:35:10But who was in that era?
00:35:12Have we forgotten that the best players in the world at that time
00:35:15were fairly inconsistent?
00:35:18Have we forgotten that most world-class players
00:35:20barely gave you five years at the top of their game
00:35:23before regressing?
00:35:24It was a different time.
00:35:26Messi and Ronaldo ruined the way we value players from the past.
00:35:31Take your time.
00:35:32Watch the film.
00:35:33And judge for yourself.
00:35:35Nonetheless,
00:35:36this season was not different than the previous one.
00:35:39As Juve would suffer again in the spring,
00:35:41they failed to convert these good performances into titles
00:35:44as they ended the season with a gut-wrenching loss to Perugia,
00:35:48which handed the Scudetto to Lazio on the final day.
00:35:51It was one of the worst days in Juventus' history,
00:36:04and for Zidane as well.
00:36:06A pass too heavy,
00:36:07a shot too wide,
00:36:09getting tackled left and right
00:36:11under the heavy reins,
00:36:13with football played on a lagoon
00:36:15acting as a pitch.
00:36:17The script was not written for Ancelotti's men that season.
00:36:21Zidane turned to the French national team
00:36:23for inspiration and success again,
00:36:26this time in the summer of 2000,
00:36:28in the European Championship in Holland and Belgium.
00:36:39Zidane and France were steps away from writing history.
00:36:43Only one side in football history has succeeded
00:36:46in being European and world champions at the same time.
00:36:49West Germany in the early 70s.
00:36:52France wanted to emulate that achievement
00:36:54and looked to have a team which can achieve this feat.
00:36:58Whereas in 98,
00:36:59France relied on a strong defense.
00:37:01In the year 2000,
00:37:02they had a formidable attacking force,
00:37:05as players such as Robert Perez,
00:37:07Thierry Henry,
00:37:08Dugary,
00:37:09Wiltord,
00:37:10Trisiguë,
00:37:10and Anilka were all part of the squad.
00:37:12The assistant manager in 98,
00:37:15Roger Lemegh,
00:37:16was the head coach this time around,
00:37:18and used two systems,
00:37:20the first being a 4-2-3-1,
00:37:22where Zidane played behind Henri and Jocaev,
00:37:25with Dugary and Wiltord on the wings.
00:37:27The head coach also used a 4-3-1-2 sometimes,
00:37:31with Zidane behind the quick attacking duo of Anilka and Henri,
00:37:35and with three defensive midfielders behind him for support.
00:37:38This tournament was special,
00:37:40as it was somewhat a battle of number 10s.
00:37:43Francesco Totti,
00:37:44Dennis Birkamp,
00:37:45Rui Costa,
00:37:47and Zidane,
00:37:47all played well throughout the tournament.
00:37:49The European Championship also proved to be the Frenchman's finest showing
00:37:53on the international stage.
00:37:55After passing the group stage,
00:37:57France faced Spain in the quarterfinals.
00:37:59Zidane was on top of his game,
00:38:01passing and dribbling,
00:38:03and scoring a fantastic free kick,
00:38:05to help France pass through to the next round.
00:38:08But his best showing was no doubt against Portugal in the semi-final stage.
00:38:17It was a prototypical Zidane performance.
00:38:20Elegance,
00:38:21control,
00:38:22skill,
00:38:23playing to the fans.
00:38:24He even participated in some hard defensive tackles.
00:38:28All of this under pressure,
00:38:29as France were behind by a goal after the first 20 minutes.
00:38:33The match extended to extra time following a Terry-Henri equaliser in the second half.
00:38:37Zidane managed to score the golden goal in the last minute through a penalty.
00:38:46The final was set.
00:38:47Italy versus France.
00:38:49It was not the best match for Zidane as the Italian defense was tough to crack,
00:38:54and he was effectively marked by Dimitri Albertini.
00:38:57France needed speed on the wings to neutralize the Italian defense,
00:39:02and Henry was electric.
00:39:04Zidane had to drop deep to receive the ball and try to influence the match.
00:39:08Despite that, he managed to create some dangerous chances.
00:39:11France won thanks to another golden goal,
00:39:13this time through Trezeguet.
00:39:19Zidane was a European champion.
00:39:21His international accolades were complete,
00:39:23and maybe,
00:39:24he finally silenced his last set of critics
00:39:27he had delivered on the biggest of stages yet again.
00:39:30Zidane was still thinking about Spain,
00:39:39but despite that,
00:39:40he extended his contract with Juve till 2005.
00:39:44But even then,
00:39:45everyone felt that the Frenchman would soon leave.
00:39:47With that feeling,
00:39:48Zidane wanted to deliver all he had in his potential last season with the Bianconeri.
00:39:53But it was just not meant to be.
00:39:56In the Champions League he so desperately wanted to lift,
00:39:58Zidane found himself lashing out again against the defenders' aggressiveness.
00:40:04In September,
00:40:05and during a group stage match against Deportivo,
00:40:07Zizou was shown a red card again.
00:40:13Sometimes the Frenchman couldn't help himself,
00:40:16but as his old training coach Gilles Lecombe said,
00:40:19if one day you stop getting hit,
00:40:22you know you aren't as good anymore.
00:40:24It would be a long time before Zinedine Zidane
00:40:27would not get hit and targeted around a football pitch.
00:40:31That red card earned him a one-match suspension.
00:40:34Juve were not doing well,
00:40:36and were at real risk of going out from the group stage.
00:40:39Zidane came back against German side Hamburg and the Dele Alpe,
00:40:42but he lashed out again and lost his temper,
00:40:46this time headbutting his opponent
00:40:48in a scene almost foreshadowing what's to happen later in Zizou's career.
00:40:53Zidane was suspended for five European matches,
00:40:56and so his teammates failed to qualify to the next round in the Champions League.
00:41:01He had to wait a little longer before lifting that trophy for the first time.
00:41:04Many analysts believe that Zidane's headbutt
00:41:07most likely made him lose votes in the Ballon d'Or voting,
00:41:11in which Figo was announced as the recipient in December of 2000.
00:41:15Nevertheless, Zidane was recognized by FIFA as Player of the Year.
00:41:23During that season,
00:41:25and specifically in the UEFA Gala Awards in Monaco,
00:41:28Zidane was in attendance.
00:41:30Another man who was attending that night
00:41:32was the new Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
00:41:35He won the presidency in dramatic fashion,
00:41:38after promising to bring stars like Figo from Barcelona,
00:41:42and also promised the fans to sign a star a year.
00:41:45Zidane was a star,
00:41:47so obviously Perez had him in his sights,
00:41:50but first he needed to check
00:41:52if the Frenchman wanted to join Los Blancos.
00:41:55So he sat near him in the gala,
00:41:57and passed him a napkin that contained a simple message.
00:42:00Would you like to come and play in Madrid?
00:42:04Zidane replied on the napkin with a simple,
00:42:06Yes.
00:42:07Having the player's blessing on a transfer is one thing,
00:42:11but convincing Juventus and their management
00:42:13is an entirely different matter.
00:42:15Zizou didn't have a release clause in his contract,
00:42:18and just extended his stay to 2005,
00:42:21and was paid a very good salary.
00:42:23But Perez was not taking a no for an answer.
00:42:26The season rolled on,
00:42:27Zidane gave his all as always,
00:42:30but Juve missed out again on the Scudetto,
00:42:32this time to Roma,
00:42:34in an exciting three-horse race,
00:42:36till the final day.
00:42:40It was May 2001,
00:42:42rumors started to appear,
00:42:44presumably orchestrated by Perez himself,
00:42:47as these rumors indicated that Zidane
00:42:49was close to signing for Real Madrid.
00:42:51Everybody thought that signing with Zizou
00:42:54was an impossible matter,
00:42:55but Perez asked the Frenchman
00:42:57to take an official stance,
00:42:59so Zizou declared that he wanted to play in Spain.
00:43:02The pressure on Juve was huge,
00:43:05and the club started to think about potential replacements,
00:43:08such as Pavel Nedved.
00:43:09In June,
00:43:10and on his 29th birthday,
00:43:12Zidane broke his silence again,
00:43:14and told La Republican newspaper,
00:43:15if it were up to me,
00:43:17I would already be at Real Madrid.
00:43:20Eventually,
00:43:21the Bianconeri succumbed to the pressure,
00:43:23after negotiations between sporting director Luciano Moji,
00:43:27and Florentino Perez,
00:43:28and agreed to sell Zidane for a world record fee,
00:43:31at that time,
00:43:32of 76 million euros.
00:43:34Juve bought him for 3.5 million euros only,
00:43:37so the club,
00:43:38believed it was the best deal possible,
00:43:41especially as the club owner,
00:43:42Gianni Agnelli felt he had done the right thing,
00:43:45and said,
00:43:46Zidane was more entertaining than useful.
00:43:50That was his final verdict on the French star,
00:43:53but Zidane,
00:43:53as he always does,
00:43:55didn't respond.
00:43:56He closed that chapter,
00:43:57and focused on his new journey with Real Madrid.
00:44:00Zidane was officially a Galactico.
00:44:08Playing with the Italian Giants Juve is one thing,
00:44:11but being a Galactico at Real Madrid in that moment of time,
00:44:15was levels above anything that Zidane experienced in the past,
00:44:18in terms of fanfare and media attention.
00:44:20Attention that Zizou didn't like.
00:44:22Perez said,
00:44:23Real is a universal club,
00:44:25and Zidane corresponds to that message of universality.
00:44:29Nobody expected the size and extent of the phenomenon of Zizou arriving at Madrid.
00:44:34Media and fan frenzy all around the city,
00:44:36and Real launched a major communications campaign around their new star,
00:44:40with 200 journalists in attendance for the unveiling.
00:44:44It was an exceptional event.
00:44:46Zidane, modest as ever,
00:44:48chose the number 5,
00:44:49as the number 10 was already taken.
00:44:52It was the number he wore 14 years prior at one of Marseille's youth clubs.
00:44:56That kid that didn't attract the attention of scouts was now a Real Madrid player.
00:45:02But the first few months were not easy for Zidane.
00:45:04He was not comfortable with this type of crazy attention around him.
00:45:08Additionally, the anti-Madridism was spreading around the other Spanish clubs.
00:45:13Real was considered the enemy to be beaten at all costs.
00:45:17An opponent too rich,
00:45:18too pretentious,
00:45:19that needed to be brought back to earth.
00:45:21And it worked.
00:45:23The pressure on Los Blancos and the Frenchmen was huge.
00:45:26Zidane's debut against Valencia was far from his best.
00:45:30He was being tackled left and right,
00:45:32and was tightly and aggressively marked throughout the match.
00:45:35They always said that La Liga would accentuate Zidane's expressive style,
00:45:40and would suit his unique set of skills.
00:45:42But clearly,
00:45:43other Spanish clubs were deciding to prepare against Real Madrid differently.
00:45:47Valencia's French defender,
00:45:49Jocelyn Angloma,
00:45:50who played with Zidane at Euro 96,
00:45:53said,
00:45:54There is no doubt about Zidane's quality.
00:45:56But all of the demands on him make it hard for him as a person.
00:46:00In Spain,
00:46:01everything related to Real Madrid is important,
00:46:04to a much greater extent than in Italy.
00:46:06So when the best player in the world arrives,
00:46:09it's crazy.
00:46:10Madrid continued delivering poor performances in the league.
00:46:13They only won two out of the opening nine matches.
00:46:16sitting dangerously in 15th position.
00:46:19This is despite Zidane scoring in four consecutive matches
00:46:22for the first time in his career.
00:46:24What made matters worse,
00:46:26was Madrid winning their opening four Champions League group matches
00:46:29without the Frenchman,
00:46:30who was suspended for five matches from the previous season.
00:46:34Media criticism was at an all-time high,
00:46:37and some felt that Zidane didn't adapt to the manager Del Bosque system.
00:46:41Zizou replied and said,
00:46:42I understand the fans' expectations,
00:46:45but I've only been here for two months.
00:46:47I signed for four years,
00:46:49and not two months.
00:46:50The Frenchman needed time to adapt and focus.
00:46:54He also admitted to not being in the best shape possible.
00:46:57So he worked extra hard in training,
00:46:59and built some chemistry with his teammates.
00:47:02Slowly but surely,
00:47:03Zidane would adapt,
00:47:04and Madrid were back on track,
00:47:07and on winning ways.
00:47:09Zidane was more comfortable now,
00:47:11more than he ever was in Italy and at Juve.
00:47:14As he said,
00:47:15I'm free here,
00:47:16and it's a lot more fun.
00:47:18Despite the pressures of being a global star,
00:47:20Zidane was enjoying his football on the pitch,
00:47:23and Madrid were taking full advantage of that,
00:47:25jumping all the way to the top of the league
00:47:27in the second half of the season,
00:47:29qualifying to the quarterfinals of the Champions League,
00:47:31and the Copa del Rey final.
00:47:33The manager Delboski felt relieved to see Zidane fit in.
00:47:37Zidane confirmed his happiness,
00:47:38and said,
00:47:39Apart from the French team,
00:47:41Real is the best team I've ever played in.
00:47:43There are so many quality players.
00:47:45It's the team of my dreams.
00:47:47I wanted to play a happier kind of football,
00:47:50and I found it.
00:47:51Zidane would confirm that joy with a fantastic goal
00:47:54against league challengers Deportivo La Caronia.
00:48:01There was talk about Madrid winning it all
00:48:05and achieving the trouble,
00:48:07but they quickly faced the harsh reality
00:48:08after losing the Copa del Rey final
00:48:11against Deportivo,
00:48:12and followed that with a poor run in form in the league,
00:48:15as they settled with third position
00:48:17in the end of the La Liga season.
00:48:19One thing was left to rescue Madrid's season,
00:48:22the Champions League,
00:48:23a trophy missing from Zizou's cabinet.
00:48:25After passing Bayern München in the quarterfinals,
00:48:28they faced arch-rivals Barcelona in the semifinals.
00:48:31The first leg was at the camp now.
00:48:33Los Blancos hadn't won there in 19 years at that time,
00:48:37but with Zidane's freedom on the pitch
00:48:38and his control of the match,
00:48:41he managed to score the opener with a beautiful chip.
00:48:50Then Steve McManaman scored the second.
00:48:52Barcelona failed to come back in the second leg
00:48:55as Madrid went to the final
00:48:56to face Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park.
00:48:59It was a vastly important match for Zidane.
00:49:02He was determined to finally win it
00:49:04and said before the final,
00:49:06I have the inner strength to win this game
00:49:08and won't accept anything else.
00:49:11Raoul opened the scoring,
00:49:13but Lucio equalized immediately.
00:49:15It was a tough match
00:49:16as both teams had limited chances
00:49:18until Zidane decided to seal it
00:49:20in his own unique way.
00:49:31A moment of magic from Zizou
00:49:33with his weaker foot.
00:49:35That freedom and expressiveness that he plays with
00:49:37is what made him even think
00:49:39of attempting a volley like that.
00:49:42It was the perfect goal to decide the Champions League final.
00:49:44Finally, Zidane was handed the trophy
00:49:48he dreamt of lifting.
00:49:59Le Bleu entered the 2002 World Cup
00:50:01as a strong favorite
00:50:03to retain the cup again.
00:50:05But the French coaching team
00:50:06made some huge errors
00:50:07before the tournament co-hosted
00:50:09by Japan and South Korea started.
00:50:11It was a long club season,
00:50:12so long that the Champions League final
00:50:14and the World Cup opener
00:50:16had only 16 days between them.
00:50:18Despite that short gap,
00:50:20France decided to play Zidane
00:50:21in a friendly against South Korea
00:50:23prior to their World Cup opener.
00:50:26That friendly proved to be costly
00:50:27as Zidane picked up an injury
00:50:29that would make him miss
00:50:31the opening two group stage matches.
00:50:33Zidane was absent from the team
00:50:35because of injury
00:50:35and the camaraderie and spirit of Le Bleu
00:50:38that was there in the past two tournaments
00:50:40was missing.
00:50:41Maquilili talked about that
00:50:43and said,
00:50:44The presence of Zidane
00:50:45is important to the squad.
00:50:46He is reassuring.
00:50:48We only saw him every now and then.
00:50:50It was as if he wasn't there.
00:50:52Nevertheless,
00:50:53everybody expected France
00:50:54to pass through the group stage easily.
00:50:57Senegal faced them in the opener.
00:50:59Zidane was watching helplessly
00:51:00from the bench
00:51:01just as he did in the 98 World Cup.
00:51:04But this time,
00:51:05his French teammates
00:51:06couldn't get the job done
00:51:07as they lost by a single goal
00:51:09against the team from West Africa.
00:51:11The next match saw them
00:51:16play a goalless draw
00:51:17against Uruguay.
00:51:18Henry was sent off
00:51:20which complicated matters.
00:51:22Zidane came back
00:51:23for the last group match
00:51:24against Denmark.
00:51:25Le Bleu needed to win
00:51:26by a two-goal margin
00:51:27to secure qualification
00:51:29out of the group.
00:51:30Zidane was not fully fit
00:51:32but determined
00:51:33to get the job done.
00:51:34He showed flashes here and there
00:51:36but it was not good enough.
00:51:38France lost by two goals
00:51:39and were out of the competition
00:51:41without scoring a single goal.
00:51:44France were the first
00:51:45defending champions
00:51:46to go out from the group stages
00:51:47since Brazil in 1966.
00:51:50The 2002-2003 season
00:52:02was the season
00:52:03Ronaldo arrived at Madrid
00:52:05from Internacional.
00:52:07Both Zidane and Ronaldo
00:52:08had a good relationship
00:52:09from their time
00:52:10in Serie A.
00:52:11Zidane was happy
00:52:12to share a pitch
00:52:13with Ronaldo
00:52:14but was happier
00:52:15for the Brazilian star
00:52:16to almost suck
00:52:17all the media attention
00:52:18towards him
00:52:19which helped Zidane
00:52:20focus on football only.
00:52:22Zidane and Madrid
00:52:23continued picking up trophies
00:52:24that season
00:52:25as they won
00:52:26the European Super Cup
00:52:27and the Intercontinental Cup
00:52:28but the battle for La Liga
00:52:30was very tough
00:52:30as they faced fierce competition
00:52:32from Real Sociedad
00:52:33whom were the surprise
00:52:35of the season.
00:52:36But individually
00:52:37Zizou looked on form
00:52:38and at his best.
00:52:40He also had one of his best
00:52:41showings in a Madrid shirt
00:52:42that season
00:52:43against defending league
00:52:44champions Valencia.
00:52:45on a dreadful pitch
00:52:47filled with puddles
00:52:48and under the heavy rains
00:52:50one player
00:52:51would remain elegant
00:52:52poised
00:52:53light-footed
00:52:54under these circumstances.
00:52:56It didn't matter
00:52:57if it was from the right
00:52:58or the left
00:52:59or even the center
00:53:00he would control the match
00:53:02and that player
00:53:03was Zinedine Zidane.
00:53:15With Makelele covering
00:53:17for him on the left side
00:53:18Zizou was unlocked
00:53:20like never before.
00:53:21Despite Madrid
00:53:22boosting stars
00:53:23left and right
00:53:24in the lineup
00:53:24Zidane's influence
00:53:26on matches
00:53:26was real
00:53:27and effective
00:53:28as Madrid
00:53:29successfully captured
00:53:30the La Liga lead
00:53:31again
00:53:32ahead of Sociedad.
00:53:33When Real Madrid
00:53:34won on aggregate
00:53:35against Man United
00:53:36in the Champions League
00:53:37quarterfinals
00:53:38United captain
00:53:39Roy Keane
00:53:40was not someone
00:53:41that gives compliments
00:53:42often
00:53:42acknowledged Zidane
00:53:44after that battle
00:53:45and said
00:53:46the best player
00:53:47I've ever come up against
00:53:48would have to be Zidane
00:53:49it seems so easy for him
00:53:51but Zidane at Madrid
00:53:53couldn't pass the hurdle
00:53:54of Juve in the semi-finals
00:53:56it was an emotional return
00:53:57for Zizou
00:53:58to Italy
00:53:59and to the Dele Alpi
00:54:00his replacement at Juve
00:54:02Pavel Nedved
00:54:02was having an exceptional season
00:54:04and the Bianconeri
00:54:10was on another level
00:54:11as they outplayed Madrid
00:54:13in all aspects of the game
00:54:14Zidane's consolation goal
00:54:16at the end
00:54:17didn't matter
00:54:17it was a shock
00:54:18for Spain's media outlets
00:54:20but Madrid had shown
00:54:21flashes of mediocrity
00:54:23in some matches
00:54:23that season
00:54:24but nonetheless
00:54:25the team managed
00:54:26to win La Liga
00:54:27as Zidane concluded
00:54:28the season
00:54:29by handing his final assist
00:54:31of the campaign
00:54:31to Ronaldo
00:54:32against Athletic Bilbao
00:54:33to seal the league title
00:54:35but the celebrations
00:54:41quickly turned into a revolt
00:54:43internal politics
00:54:44opened up many cracks
00:54:45within the team
00:54:46Delboski was surprisingly fired
00:54:48Hierro didn't have
00:54:50his contract renewed
00:54:51after serious arguments
00:54:52with the directors
00:54:53and Morientes
00:54:54was sent out on loan
00:54:55despite him being
00:54:57a fan favorite
00:54:57and finally
00:54:59the nail in the coffin
00:55:00which sealed the fate
00:55:01of this team
00:55:01was the decision
00:55:02to sell Maclele
00:55:03and bring in Beckham
00:55:04which was in line
00:55:05with Perez's philosophy
00:55:06of turning this team
00:55:07into a marketing
00:55:08and financial machine
00:55:10thus the following season
00:55:11started with a lot
00:55:12of question marks
00:55:13for Zidane
00:55:14Carlos Keroz
00:55:15was appointed
00:55:16as a new manager
00:55:16a man who had
00:55:18no experience
00:55:18dealing with stars
00:55:19the balance of the team
00:55:21was broken
00:55:21Zidane tried to intervene
00:55:23into managerial matters
00:55:24and take his stance
00:55:25but Perez only understood
00:55:27football in terms
00:55:28of how much
00:55:28these players
00:55:29are bringing in money
00:55:30for the club
00:55:31he didn't have
00:55:32the footballing experience
00:55:33at that point of time
00:55:34to understand
00:55:35Zidane's point of view
00:55:37but the results
00:55:38proved the president
00:55:39right at first
00:55:40as Madrid played well
00:55:41Zidane was also
00:55:42in very good form
00:55:43but these positive results
00:55:45were not supposed
00:55:46to last all season
00:55:47as this team
00:55:48was not constructed
00:55:49to last the whole campaign
00:55:50at the halfway point
00:55:51their season took a huge turn
00:55:53and their form
00:55:54took a huge dip
00:55:55the ups and downs
00:55:56of that season
00:55:57was showcased
00:55:58in their two legs
00:55:58against Monaco
00:55:59in the quarterfinals
00:56:00of the Champions League
00:56:01the first match
00:56:02at the Bernabeu
00:56:03showcased Madrid
00:56:04and Zidane
00:56:04at their best
00:56:05Zidane dazzled
00:56:06in midfield
00:56:07scored a goal
00:56:08and assisted Ronaldo
00:56:09as well
00:56:10as Madrid won
00:56:11by four goals
00:56:12to two
00:56:12the bad side
00:56:13of Madrid
00:56:14was evident
00:56:14in the second leg
00:56:15tired legs
00:56:16all around the pitch
00:56:17Monaco capitalized
00:56:18as the Madrid
00:56:19Lonely Morientes
00:56:20came back
00:56:21to bite his former team
00:56:22and then Juli
00:56:23scored a decisive goal
00:56:24to kick the Spanish
00:56:25champions
00:56:26out of the competition
00:56:27Zizou also displayed
00:56:32two sides of himself
00:56:33that season
00:56:34an example of both
00:56:35these sides
00:56:36came against
00:56:36the same team
00:56:37which was Deportivo
00:56:38in the first match
00:56:39in December
00:56:40Zidane was dictating
00:56:41everything in the match
00:56:42his second encounter
00:56:44against Deportivo
00:56:45at the end of the season
00:56:45in May
00:56:46Zidane was physically
00:56:47shattered
00:56:48and received two
00:56:49yellow cards
00:56:49in the first half
00:56:50and was sent off
00:56:51for the 12th time
00:56:52in his career
00:56:53and for the second time
00:56:54in a Madrid shirt
00:56:55this inconsistency
00:56:57of the whole team
00:56:57cost Madrid
00:56:58as they ended
00:56:59the season
00:57:00trophyless
00:57:00and exhausted
00:57:01Zidane talked
00:57:02about that period
00:57:03and said
00:57:04it was the worst time
00:57:05I've had at Real
00:57:06physically
00:57:07we couldn't do it anymore
00:57:09we'd lost everything
00:57:10in a month
00:57:11and a half
00:57:11France looked
00:57:21to right the wrongs
00:57:22of the disaster
00:57:23of the 0-2 World Cup
00:57:24in the Euro Championship
00:57:25of 2004
00:57:26a new coach
00:57:28a better atmosphere
00:57:29and more confidence
00:57:30even Zidane was willing
00:57:32to sacrifice his position
00:57:33on the field
00:57:34to accommodate
00:57:35for Robert Perez
00:57:36who usually prefers
00:57:37to play on the left side
00:57:38in their opener
00:57:39against England
00:57:40Zidane was targeted
00:57:42with tackles
00:57:42by Gerrard and Lampard
00:57:43in the midfield battle
00:57:45France were down
00:57:46by a goal
00:57:46and were staring
00:57:47at a defeat
00:57:48until Zidane got a chance
00:57:50with a free kick
00:57:51in a dangerous position
00:57:52with almost no time left
00:57:54with Zidane
00:57:55it is
00:57:56it is
00:57:58two minutes later
00:57:59Henri won a penalty
00:58:01and Zidane stepped up
00:58:02cool as ever
00:58:03to score
00:58:04the dramatic winner
00:58:05an amazing win for Le Bleu
00:58:10but their performance
00:58:11was not convincing at all
00:58:13their second group match
00:58:14against Croatia
00:58:15proved that view
00:58:16as they drew 2-2
00:58:18in their last match
00:58:19of the group stage
00:58:20France were much more convincing
00:58:22as they won against the Swiss
00:58:23by three goals to one
00:58:25but all of France's weaknesses
00:58:27showed in their quarterfinal clash
00:58:29against Greece
00:58:30as they were eliminated
00:58:31by a single goal
00:58:33Zidane was very frustrated
00:58:38with his teammates
00:58:39after the match
00:58:39and said
00:58:40we could have played differently
00:58:42but there was a lack
00:58:43of harmony
00:58:44is it a sign
00:58:45that this cycle
00:58:46is coming to an end
00:58:48we'll have to wait
00:58:49and see
00:58:50what was Zidane
00:58:51actually hinting at
00:58:53French newspaper
00:58:54Les Parisiens
00:58:55mentioned an anti-Zidane plot
00:58:57hatched by Arsenal's
00:58:58French players
00:58:59they specifically named Henri and Perez
00:59:02in their report
00:59:03they reported that Henri was annoyed
00:59:05by the lack of passes
00:59:06he received from Zidane
00:59:08which is not a new topic
00:59:10as since Henri gained a starting spot
00:59:12in the national team
00:59:13he didn't fit in with Zizou's style of play
00:59:16as Zidane preferred to play at a slower pace
00:59:18in contrast Henri preferred a fast pace
00:59:21and quick counter-attacks
00:59:22in all cases
00:59:23Zidane and France experienced a new setback
00:59:26and now he was thinking of taking a very big decision
00:59:29in July
00:59:30the French coach Jacques Santini
00:59:31was replaced by Raymond Dominique
00:59:33a decision that was unpopular at that time
00:59:36the appointment of Laurent Blanc or Didier Duchamp
00:59:39would have been far better received
00:59:41a month later Dominique met with Zidane
00:59:43to discuss his plans to overhaul the French setup
00:59:46and bring back some professionalism to the side
00:59:49Zidane was not against this change
00:59:51but he was not up to the new challenge
00:59:53and so in August of 2004
00:59:55he officially announced his international retirement
00:59:58so it was really difficult
01:00:01it was not easy to give a response like that
01:00:05on the next day
01:00:07at 32 years of age
01:00:08and after 93 international caps
01:00:11Zidane's decision was final
01:00:13and meticulously planned
01:00:15he didn't take it lightly
01:00:16but what does that mean for his club career with Madrid?
01:00:20is he thinking of taking the same decision
01:00:22and hanging up his boots
01:00:24in the next couple of years?
01:00:35Florentino Perez was re-elected as president
01:00:37and Madrid continued on their star-a-season philosophy
01:00:40with the arrival of Michael Owen
01:00:42but the balance of the team was not solved
01:00:44despite that Zidane was still happy at Real Madrid
01:00:48he extended his contract until 2007
01:00:51and was even offered the opportunity
01:00:53to be a lifetime ambassador for the club
01:00:55Zidane said
01:00:56it feels as if I arrived only yesterday
01:00:59I still want to play for Real
01:01:01for a very long time
01:01:02but the 2004-2005 season
01:01:05would be a disappointment again
01:01:07for Zidane at Madrid
01:01:08the new manager Jose Antonio Camacho
01:01:11had some harsh words for the Galacticos
01:01:13and said to Zidane
01:01:15you have to stop all this fussing about
01:01:17and play one-touch football
01:01:19Zidane didn't take offense from that
01:01:22he saw that it was a positive
01:01:24that someone would be harsh on the players
01:01:26because in reality
01:01:27they actually needed it
01:01:29Madrid didn't start the season well
01:01:31Zidane had to accommodate other new arrivals
01:01:34and even played as a defensive midfielder
01:01:36in some matches
01:01:37which is obviously not his best position
01:01:40nothing was working as intended for Los Blancos
01:01:43while a newly constructed Barcelona
01:01:45was pulling away in the league
01:01:46during the season
01:01:47Real Madrid tried three managers
01:01:50the last one being the Brazilian
01:01:51Vanderlei Luxemburgo
01:01:53who had the chops to manage the stars in the squad
01:01:55and with him
01:01:57Zidane returned to his usual attacking position
01:01:59and started creating more freely from there
01:02:02but it was all too little too late
01:02:05as Madrid experienced yet another
01:02:07disappointing and trophy-less season
01:02:10these dreadful seasons with Madrid
01:02:19created a void within Zidane
01:02:21a void he wanted to fill by reversing his decision to retire from Les Bleus
01:02:26in August of 2005
01:02:28the announcement was surprising
01:02:37because Zidane was not a man to go back on decisions
01:02:40but he was persuaded to come back
01:02:42thanks to the French coach Raymond Dominic
01:02:45who visited Zidane several times in Madrid during the season
01:02:48and told him that he was counting on him
01:02:51French captain Patrick Vieira also had a hand in his return
01:02:55as he helped convince both Toram and Makalele to come back as well
01:02:59but Zidane had some clear terms for the coach
01:03:01he would only play in specific positions
01:03:04either behind the strikers or on the left
01:03:07he will never play on the right
01:03:09in return Zizou would comply with Dominic's terms
01:03:12that he set when he took over the national squad
01:03:15Zidane talked about his decision and said
01:03:17Zidane didn't want to have any regrets about the national team
01:03:30that gave him the best moments of his career
01:03:33for months he would suffer
01:03:35as he watched France play poorly in the World Cup qualifiers
01:03:39Les Bleus were in trouble
01:03:40as they won only two out of their first six qualifier matches
01:03:44so Zizou would return in a tough situation
01:03:47with a clear goal
01:03:49leading France to the World Cup
01:03:51his first match back was a friendly against Ivory Coast
01:03:55Zidane said that he was more emotional that day
01:03:58than when he played his first match for Les Bleus in 94
01:04:01and said
01:04:02it was like I'd gone back 11 years
01:04:05and that emotion showed on the pitch
01:04:07as he uncharacteristically missed some passes
01:04:10but received huge support from the fans
01:04:12whom were excited for each touch of the ball
01:04:15and once he settled and became comfortable
01:04:18the Zidane we knew very well on the international level
01:04:21was back
01:04:27France won the match
01:04:28and was ready to tackle the rest of the World Cup qualifiers
01:04:32Zidane looked fresh and focused
01:04:34and that had a massive effect on Les Bleus
01:04:37as they went on to win three
01:04:38out of their last four qualifier matches
01:04:41and topped the group
01:04:42to officially qualify
01:04:44to the World Cup
01:04:52Zidane was back in Madrid nursing an injury
01:04:55and needed some time off to recover
01:04:57he came back just in time for the Classico against Barcelona
01:05:00at the Santiago Bernabeu
01:05:02a match that saw a humiliating loss
01:05:04and a symbolic end for the Galacticos project
01:05:08the Brazilian manager Luxemburgo couldn't do anything
01:05:11to fix this team
01:05:12and despite Zidane playing well on the pitch
01:05:15after scoring his first career hat-trick in January against Sevilla
01:05:18things were not clicking for Real Madrid
01:05:21in yet another season
01:05:23in February
01:05:24President Florentino Perez announced his resignation
01:05:28it was a surprise for everybody
01:05:30and especially for Zidane
01:05:31who paid his tribute to Perez and said
01:05:34signing for Real is one of the best things
01:05:36that's ever happened to me
01:05:38and without him
01:05:39I wouldn't have been able to
01:05:40weeks later
01:05:42Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal
01:05:45Zidane was struggling to stay motivated in training
01:05:48and for the first time in his career
01:05:50he was not enjoying football
01:05:52as Madrid were facing yet another trophy-less season
01:05:55so on the 25th of April
01:05:57Zidane took another big decision
01:05:59and announced that he was to retire from football
01:06:02after the World Cup
01:06:04he said
01:06:04it's a decision I've been thinking about carefully
01:06:07and I had to take it before the World Cup
01:06:10it's something that's been in my head for a while
01:06:12and I wanted to get it off my mind
01:06:15I don't want to start a third year
01:06:17knowing that I won't be able to do better
01:06:20than I've done in the past
01:06:22now Zidane was focused on his last three matches with Madrid
01:06:25and the World Cup
01:06:27and said
01:06:28let's hope I'll get to play in 10 more matches
01:06:31when he said 10 more matches
01:06:33he meant three matches with Madrid
01:06:35and seven with France
01:06:37but seven matches with Le Bleu
01:06:39meant getting all the way to the World Cup final
01:06:42Zidane was thinking of a legendary ending
01:06:44while holding the greatest prize in the world of football
01:06:48but his decision to retire was met with criticism
01:06:52Diego Maradona for example was upset
01:06:54and said
01:06:55I'll ask him to keep playing
01:06:57not to retire
01:06:59because we don't love him for the Cups
01:07:01he's won
01:07:01but because of how he plays
01:07:03and how he has made us enjoy football
01:07:06but the Frenchman's decision was final
01:07:09he played his last match at the Bernabeu against Villarreal
01:07:12in an emotional and important evening
01:07:15and Zidane did what he does best
01:07:17entertained the fans
01:07:18influenced the match
01:07:20and even scored a goal in his last match
01:07:22at the Bernabeu
01:07:26before the end of the match Zidane was substituted
01:07:29he tried to remain calm
01:07:31but even the moment was too much for him
01:07:39his last match with Real Madrid was away against Sevilla
01:07:43as he scored yet another goal
01:07:45to officially conclude his legendary club career
01:07:48now Zidane had to prepare for his last challenge
01:07:52the 2006 World Cup
01:07:55will he succeed in achieving the perfect finale
01:08:04everybody loves a fairytale ending
01:08:07and Zidane's career deserves it
01:08:09but was that really on the table for France and Zizou
01:08:12at the 2006 World Cup
01:08:15despite this group of players' past achievements
01:08:18the press had doubts about Zidane
01:08:20and his teammates' ability to rise to the occasion again
01:08:23especially Zidane
01:08:24he played his last season with Madrid
01:08:27nursing a niggling injury
01:08:28and was experiencing fatigue
01:08:30which is normal for a player that far in his career
01:08:34even Zidane's relationship with his France coach Raymond Dominic
01:08:37was not good
01:08:38as they were never agreeing on footballing terms
01:08:42but in the end
01:08:43all differences were pushed to the side
01:08:45for one common goal
01:08:46to play in the World Cup final
01:08:48which was something Dominic kept repeating
01:08:50all the time to his team
01:08:52but their start was disappointing
01:08:54a goalless draw against the Swiss national team
01:08:57and then another draw against the South Koreans
01:09:00Zidane was not decisive
01:09:02he was frustrated
01:09:03especially after receiving his second yellow card
01:09:06of the tournament against South Korea
01:09:08and was banned from the last group match
01:09:11Dominic decided to sub him out
01:09:13before the end of the match
01:09:14Zidane left the pitch looking furious
01:09:17refusing to look at the coach or even the bench
01:09:20Le Bleu had to win against Togo to go through
01:09:22and they succeeded in scoring two goals without reply
01:09:25to go through as runners-up of the group
01:09:35before the knockout stage
01:09:36news was spreading about Jean Varoud's death
01:09:39the scout that discovered Zizou
01:09:41and gave him the chance
01:09:42Zidane didn't comment
01:09:44and as always bottled up his emotions
01:09:46and focused on the next match against Spain
01:09:49each match could be the last for Zizou
01:09:52but he was determined to get to the final
01:09:54and delay his retirement as much as possible
01:10:11And also this is the last chance of the season
01:10:12he was able to get to the final
01:10:13and he was able to win the match
01:10:13And he got to move on
01:10:14and now this During the match
01:10:15season is the final
01:10:16And he did not miss the final
01:10:18for all the final
01:10:19and the final
01:10:20season is the final
01:10:21season is the final
01:10:22split
01:10:23et sur le ballon
01:10:24il se sent les deux mains
01:10:26les nevizes
01:10:27par
01:10:28et encore ce double contact
01:10:31de Passavien Rabilal
01:10:32...
01:10:44...
01:10:52...
01:10:58...
01:11:00...
01:11:01It was official, the last match of Zidane's professional career will be the World Cup
01:11:10final, a feat not even the greats of football in the past had achieved.
01:11:14It was an exceptional way to end a legendary career.
01:11:19The Italians were waiting for them in the final, the team that was looking for revenge
01:11:23after their loss in the Euro 2000 final.
01:11:26Gattuso was tasked to mark Zidane and said before the match, you can't stop Zidane, that's
01:11:32not what I'm planning to do, I'll need to be lucky.
01:11:36The Azzurri conceded only one goal all tournament and were a very tough side to beat, but all
01:11:41the indicators pointed towards this being a fairytale ending for one of the greats of
01:11:46the sport.
01:11:47But as we have learned in the past with this game, football can be unforgiving at times.
01:11:56...
01:12:14It's the rival!
01:12:16Baterazzi!
01:12:18Go!
01:12:19Baterazzi!
01:12:26Oh!
01:12:27Oh!
01:12:28Oh!
01:12:29Oh!
01:12:30I love it!
01:12:32I love it!
01:12:38I love it!
01:12:40It's the Furore!
01:12:41Baterazzi!
01:12:42There is something too!
01:12:44Ais!
01:12:47I'm going to play a lot.
01:12:49I'm gonna play a lot.
01:12:51Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:12:54Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:12:56I'm going to play a lot.
01:15:28Let's go back to May of 2001.
01:15:41And to a match between Juve and Bologna at the end of the Serie A season, the Bianconeri
01:15:46were involved in a three-horse race for the Scudetto, and despite the pressure, Zidane
01:15:51was putting on a show, maybe his best in a Juve shirt.
01:15:54The fans in Bologna were reacting to each and every one of Zidane's touches and skills as
01:15:59he glided past his opponents.
01:16:01Three days later, the Champions League final was being played between Bayern Munich and
01:16:16Valencia.
01:16:16It was not the best advert for the sport, as the match was boring, uninspiring, and didn't
01:16:22live up to the standards.
01:16:23That's why I would like to ask a question.
01:16:26What holds more value to the football viewer?
01:16:30Is it an important match that in the end resulted in little to no expression or beauty?
01:16:35Or is it an actual display of elegance, skill, and inspiration?
01:16:40In a world where tactical discipline and athleticism are key factors, if a player wanted to contribute
01:16:45to a team, the freedom and expressionist style of football Zidane showcased could no longer
01:16:50be replicated.
01:16:52It was engineered out of the sport.
01:16:54Zidane represented what it feels like playing in the streets, in small pitches, the carefree
01:16:59style, the freedom, and even the youthful aggression at some moments.
01:17:04Maradona said in the past, Zidane is one of those players that make people happy.
01:17:22Not with music.
01:17:24Piano music.
01:17:29Juno.
01:17:33Ruben.
01:17:34.
01:17:40.
01:17:40.
01:17:42.
01:17:42.
01:17:42.
01:17:44.
01:17:44.
01:17:45.
01:17:45.
01:17:47.
01:17:49.
01:17:51.
01:17:51.
01:17:51.
01:17:51.
01:17:51.