Zinedine Zidane

Zinédine Yazid Zidane (born June 23, 1972) is a muslim French football (soccer) player of Algerian ethnic origin, nicknamed Zizou. He was the top player in the 1998 Football World Cup, which France won, scoring two goals in the final against Brazil.

Zinedine Zidane was born in Marseille, France.

In 2001 he transferred from Italian team Juventus to Spanish side Real Madrid in a four-year deal worth $64.45 million, making him the most expensive player in footballing history. While Zidane initially took a while to settle among the superstars of Madrid, the season culminated in him scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 win over the German side Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 Champions League Final.

However, injuries prevented him from reprising his 1998 performance in the 2002 Football World Cup. France's defence of their trophy was one of the most unsuccessful in World Cup history, the team being eliminated in the First Round without scoring a single goal.

Clubs

• Cannes FC (1988-1992)
• FC Bordeaux (1992-1996)
• Juventus (July 1996 - July 2001)
• Real Madrid (since July 2001)

• French national football team (since August 1994)

Honors

• FIFA World Cup
  • Winner: 1998
  • Appearances: 1998 2002

• European Championship winner: 2000

• UEFA Champions League: 2002

• European Super Cup: 1997

• Serie A champions: 1997