Profile of one of the most titled and versatile players of France Zinedine Zidane.
Welcome to the Legendary Players series of the sports blog, in which we will look at the best football players and tell you in detail about who they are and how they made a name for themselves.
Zidane ‘s early years
Zinedine Zidane was born to Algerian parents in the nearby town of La Castellane, Marseille, on June 23, 1972. Although the port city of Marseille is perhaps one of the most picturesque and charming places in Southern Europe, like the house of Zidane, it acquires a special significance in French folklore.. Zidane’s father, Ismail, worked as a salesman in a department store, and his mother, Malika, was a housewife.
Zidane was the youngest of five siblings, and although they lived in an area rife with crime, Zidane states that his father’s guidance and guidance helped him overcome difficulties and never slip into any offenses.
At the age of five, young Zidane got acquainted with football. Together with his neighbors, he played football at the main intersection of the residential complex known as Tartan Square. In the early days, his affection and love for football were primarily inspired by the Olympique de Marseille players, including Jean-Pierre Papin, the world’s first player to earn 10 million pounds, Enzo Francescoli and Blaise Sliskovic, who at that time were his idols among football stars.
The beginning of Zidane’s football journey:
At the age of ten, Zidane received his first permission to participate in the youth team of a local club in La Castellana. He developed his skills on the steep roads of La Castellane in Marseille, France. However, his stay at the club was short-lived, and after about a year and a half he was transferred to SOC-Septem-le-Vallon. However, his union with Septem lasted for about two and a half years, after which he was among those who were selected for three-day training at Aix-en-Provence in KREPS (Regional Center for Sports and Physical Education).
While training in KREPS, his skills were determined by AS Cannes recruiter Jean Varro at the training camp of the French Football Federation. According to Varro,
“I surpassed one, two, three, five, six players — it was great. His feet were talking to the ball” ”
After his flamboyant football performance at the camp, he was hired, where he spent the next three years honing his skills in the Cannes Youth division.
Zizu ‘s professional career:
Despite his early prospects in this field. It took 4 years before Zidane made his professional debut as a football player. Below is a detailed overview of his professional career at various clubs and his national team.
AS IN Cannes (1989-1992):
After training in the Cannes youth division, the young Zidane made his debut for the club on May 18, 1989 in a match against Nantes, to which he scored his first professional goal two years later. It wasn’t until the 90-91 season that Zidane started performing regularly in Cannes, showing off his incredible talents and helping them achieve their best result in Ligue 1, finishing fourth. During this time, he had several disciplinary problems, which were mostly resolved after the Cannes director Jean-Claude Elino took him under his wing.
Zizu played 61 matches for the main team of Cannes, scored 6 goals and made 3 assists. In Cannes, he demonstrated excellent football skills, compact playing skills and a great vision of how to get away from the opposition. In the colors of the Cannes Ace, Zidane demonstrated an extraordinary technique of ball possession, showing glimpses of talent that will take him to the top of the world game.
Girondists of Bordeaux (1992-1996)
Having established himself as an outstanding talented player, it was now time for Zidane to move to a bigger club, and he eventually joined FC Bordeaux in the 1992-93 season, where he became part of an all-encompassing team of the club era. His association with Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry helped Bordeaux win the Intertoto Cup in 1995 and reach the final of the 1995-96 UEFA Cup, which they eventually lost to the first-class German team Bayern Munich.
Zidane at Bordeaux
At this time, Zidane showed growing interest in the major leagues of Europe, especially in the English Premier League, but he decided to move to the Italian Serie A after being named the player of the 1995-96 Ligue 1 season.
The most compact and well-honed Zidane started 140 times with the Girondists, where he managed to score 28 goals and make 6 assists, which helped his club to enjoy many unforgettable moments in the history of the club.
Juventus Football Club (1996-2001):
Zidane’s hard work in Ligue 1 with Bordeaux did not go unnoticed, and European champion Juventus knocked on his door.
The Frenchman decided to tie the knot with Black and White in 1996. During this time, Zidane also received many offers from other European clubs, the most notable of which was an offer from Newcastle United, but all to no avail. After his signing, success was not long in coming, as he and Juventus won Serie A twice in a row. They also reached the Champions League final in both seasons, but lost both times to the German giant Borussia Dortmund and the strongest Spanish team Real Madrid.
Although he managed to win the Intertoto Cup with Juventus, the rest of his career under La Viejo was devoid of any major trophies. He managed to start 151 games for La Viejo, in which he hit the ball behind the net 24 times and made 16 important, game-changing passes.
Despite the fact that he won everything at his stage at Juve, including the World Cup and the European Championship, the crown escaped him-the UEFA Champions League, so the next episode of Zinedine Zidane’s fictional career had to take place in the place where he specialized in this trophy., Real Madrid.
Real Madrid C. F. (2001-2006):
At a rate that was a world record for the number of transfers, Zinedine Zidane agreed to join Spanish super giant Real Madrid for 77.5 million euros in 2001, a record that will not be broken for another 8 years. Expectations of Zizou were high and growing, as he was paired with the best players in the world, such as Raul, David Beckham, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos.
As always, Zidane justified himself when he found himself in the spotlight, as he won the Champions League in his debut season for Real Madrid, scoring that unforgettable goal from the left flank in the final, which remains one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the competition.