He won the first star of the France team jersey, is a Real Madrid legend and a planetary icon, Zinédine Zidane celebrates his 50th birthday this Thursday, June 23, 2022. Two goals in the 1998 World Cup final, a legendary volley in the Champions League final in 2002, a whim in 2006, and Real Madrid coach ...
20 Minutes looks
back, in pictures, on the career of the French player and coach.
Directed by: Charlotte Gonthier, Victor Point and
Olivier Juszczak
After his debut at AS Cannes from 1988 to 1992, he played for Bordeaux until 1996.
That year, the UEFA Cup passed under his nose after a defeat against Bayern Munich in the final on May 15.
At the same time, he made his debut for the France team.
He scored twice in his first match in August 1994. He was also part of the team that lost in the semi-finals of Euro 96.
From left to right from bottom to top: Franck Durix, Reynald Pedros, Christian Karembeu, Aimé Jacquet, Nicolas Ouedec, Patrice Loko, Bixente Lizarazu, Philippe Bergeroo, Alain Roche, Paul Leguen, Laurent Blanc, Bruno N'Gotty, Christophe Dugarry, Zinédine Zidane, Henri Emile, Fabien Barthez, Marcel Desailly, Franck Gava, Eric Cantona, Jocelyn Angloma and Bernard Lama.
Also in 1996, he put on the Juventus jersey, which he kept until 2001. Twice Italian champion, his team nevertheless failed twice in the Champions League final.
Then comes June 1998, and the World Cup in France.
The competition did not start very well for Zinédine Zidane who received a red card in the second group match after wiping his cleats on a Saudi player.
He does not play the next two games...
... but of course catches up on July 12.
He had a dream match and scored twice with a header in the final against Brazil (3-0).
It thus allows France to win, at home, the first football World Cup in its history.
He completed this exceptional year by winning the Ballon d'Or.
Which he presented on the lawn of the Vélodrome during the friendly match against Morocco on January 20, 1999.
In July 2000, France brandished a new cup, that of the Euro, for a historic double.
The same year, again tipped for the Ballon d'Or, and while Juve was opposed to Hamburg, Zinédine Zidane was guilty of a... headbutt on an opponent.
The Ballon d'Or eludes him.
However, the players remained very courted by European teams... In July 2001, he was transferred to Real Madrid for the record sum (at the time) of 500 million francs (75 million euros).
A justified sum, since the following year, Real won the Champions League against Leverkusen (2-1) in May, thanks in particular to an exceptional volley from the left in the top corner of Zizou.
This is the only time he has won the most prestigious of European cups.
Enough to justify drinking champagne in it!
But if all goes well in club, on the other hand the national team collapses.
Injured, Zinedine Zidane assists helplessly, on the bench, to the humiliating elimination of France in the first round of the World Cup in South Korea.
While he had announced the end of his international career, Raymond Domenech convinced him to put on the national jersey.
He scored on his return in a friendly match against Côte d'Ivoire (3-0) in August 2005.
Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, Zinédine Zidane announced he was (genuinely) ending his playing career after the competition at a press conference in April.
This World Cup will be a form of collapsed apotheosis for the player.
Mocked by the Spanish press, who told him to retire, he shone in the round of 16 against La Roja, scoring France's third goal (3-1).
After an exceptional quarter-final against Brazil (1-0), he distinguished himself in the most cheeky way in the final against Italy by scoring a panenka from the penalty spot...
... but also in the saddest of ways by giving his famous headbutt to Marco Materazzi in extra time.
Logically expelled, he witnesses the defeat of his team on penalties.
Discreet the following years, Zinédine Zidane will gradually approach the Madrid governing bodies.
In 2009, he became the club's ambassador, and notably advised Karim Benzema when he arrived at the Merengue.
At the same time, he was recruited in 2010 by Qatar to support the country's bid to host the 2022 World Cup. With success.
But Zinedine Zidane's real goal is to become a coach.
He became Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at the "White House" in 2013. In January 2014, he obtained the diploma of general manager of a professional sports club in Limoges.
He became more and more involved with Real, which won its tenth Champions League on May 24, 2014.
His perseverance paid off, as he became coach of Castilla, Real Madrid's B team, in the summer of 2014. And thus placed himself very well to become the coach of the A team... he the same successes on the sidelines as on the field?
On January 4, 2016, he was officially inducted as Real Madrid coach by club president Florentino Perez, replacing Rafael Benitez.
At the age of 43, Zinédine Zidane takes the reins of the biggest football club in the world.
5 months later, on May 28, 2016, Zinédine Zidane lifted the Champions League cup after his team's victory in the final against Atletico Madrid (1-1 tab 5-3).
He becomes the second French coach to win the most prestigious of European competitions after Helenio Herrera.
The first since the event took the form of the Champions League in 1992.
On May 21, 2017, he won the Spanish football championship (La Liga) with Real Madrid.
By winning 2-0 on the lawn of Malaga on the last day, Zinédine Zidane's players offered themselves a title that the club had been waiting for 5 years.
On June 4, 2017, the French coach is carried by the players at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid (Spain).
The day before, Real Madrid won the Champions League by beating Juventus of Turin (1-4) at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff (Wales).
Second consecutive victory in the Champions League as a manager.
On May 26, 2018, by beating Liverpool (3-1) Zinedine Zidane won his third Champions League in a row with Real Madrid, a first in the history of football.
Five days later, during a press conference with President Florentino Perez, Zinédine Zidane announces that he is leaving his coaching position at Real Madrid on May 31, 2018. He declares that he is not looking for another club but everyone would see him one day take over from Didier Deschamps, the coach of the France team.
He is recalled to the Real bench from 2019 to 2021. In 2020, he wins a new Spanish championship title with the club.
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Zinedine Zidane