Zidane, Zinédine - FRA : Biography
FRA
Born 23 June 1972
Birthplace Marseille
Weight 80 kg
Height 1.85 m
Position Midfielder
One of the world's greatest players, Zinedine is a supreme playmaker in the centre of the park.
He made his international debut against Czech Republic in 1994 and has now amassed over 100 caps. He led his country to victory over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup, contributing two goals in the 3-0 win, and also to the European Championship title in 2000.
At club level, he developed with Cannes and Bordeaux before joining Juventus in 1996 where he was a key member of their team that won the Serie A title in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
In July 2001, he became the world's most expensive player when he was sold to Real Madrid for a fee of £47.7 million.
Zinedine was European Footballer of the Year in 1998 and FIFA World Footballer of the Year in both 1998 and 2000.
Zinedine missed the first two games of the 2002 finals after tearing a thigh muscle in a pre-tournament friendly with South Korea.
Having stated he will retire at the end of the tournament, Zinedine captained France at the 2006 finals in Germany and - four days after his 34th birthday - scored their third goal as they beat Spain 3-1 in the Round of 16.
Zizou scored the 33rd minute penalty that gave France a 1-0 win against Portugal in the semi-final. It meant he would play the last game of his career in the World Cup Final.