Zinedine Zidane
About
Zinedine is one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced to pitch. He was the leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship and is one of only two players to have been FIFA World Player of the Year three times (Brazilian striker Ronaldo being the other). He also won the Ballon d’Or in 1998.
At club level Zinedine Zidane won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned sides.
In 1996, Zidane moved to UEFA Champions League winners Juventus for a fee of £3.2 million and won the 1996–97 Serie A and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup.
In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for a then world record fee of 150 billion Italian lire (about €75 million) and signed a four-year contract. He scored a famous match-winning goal, a volley hit with his weaker foot, in Madrid’s 2–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final completing his personal quadruple.
On 1 June 2009, Zinedine Zidane was announced as the Advisor to the President after Florentino Perez was named President of Real Madrid for the second time. He along with Jorge Valdano, General Director, and Miguel Pardeza, Sporting Director, were to be the key decision makers on the sporting side of the club.
After a brief international retirement, he returned to the national team in 2005 and captained France to the 2006 World Cup Final where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s most outstanding player.
On 19 November 2008, Zidane took part in the fifth annual Match Against Poverty in Málaga. He also, in June 2010, took part in the bi-annual charity event Soccer Aid. He played for the Rest Of The World Team, managed by Liverpool and Celtic hero Kenny Dalglish against England alongside former Real Madrid teammate Luis Figo, and Celtic legend Henrik Larsson.
Filmmakers Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon filmed a documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, which follows Zidane during an entire match, filmed with 17 cameras. The documentary was part of the 2009 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
In November 2010, Zidane was appointed as a special adviser to Real Madrid’s first team in response to an appeal made by Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for the former Real midfielder to work more closely with the team. In his new role, Zidane is expected to participate in Champions League events and functions. He is also to travel with the first team on a regular basis and participate in pre-match gatherings, training sessions and meetings with the head coach.
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