World Cup Analysis

How The World Will Remember Zizou

By Mike Martin ⋅ July 19, 2006 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Mike Martin examines the legacy of Zinedine Zidane’s career, a footballing journey that never failed to provide excitement, for better or worse.

At his majestic best, between the previous two World Cups, Zinedine Zidane was a maverick artisan, his skill, vision and balletic ball control could make a football pitch look five miles wide. But at his petulant, loutish worst he brought the game into disrepute. But which will be our dominant memory of Zizou in years to come?

Given that Zidane seems to have ruled out coaching, and his unassuming personality off the pitch suggests a media career is not beckoning, his now exhausted playing days will surely provide the lasting memories of Zidane. His list of achievements is considerable; World Cup 1998, Euro 2000, Champions League 2002 and countless domestic winners medals grace his Madrid home. But it is easy to forget that the violent end to his career was not inconsistent with incidents which preceeded it.

Zidane was sent off fourteen times in his career. That’s thirteen more red cards than Robbie Savage. The first came in a punch-up with fellow youngster Marcel Desailly in the early nineties, but hindsight proves that cannot merely be written off as the folly of an inexperienced young man. It became clear during his time at Bordeaux that Zidane was a genius, and Juventus stumped up £3 million pounds for the French playmaker after Euro 96, in which he emerged to help France to a semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to the Czech Republic.

Come the 1998 World Cup Zidane, now in his mid twenties and established as one of the world’s most promising talents, was the pivot around which France were expected to put up a serious challenge for the trophy for the first time since 1986. But the pressure caused Zidane’s lid to flip. In an unchallenging 4-0 romp over ten-man Saudi Arabia, Zidane stupidly stamped on Saudi captain Fuad Amin and was sent off. His suspension did not stop France beating, however unconvincingly, Denmark and Paraguay. In the quarter and semi finals it was others, most notably Fabien Barthez and Lilian Thuram, who became France’s catalysts.

But Zidane’s two goals in the final were confirmation that he was a player capable of delivering at the highest level. When it really mattered, Ronaldo faltered and Zidane shone. Two years later, Zidane’s performances at Euro 2000 confirmed him as one of the finest players Europe had ever produced; even, most agreed, surpassing Michel Platini as France’s finest ever player. At times the ball seemed to be tied to Zidane’s feet. He scored a fine free-kick in the electrifying quarter final win over Spain, and kept his cool to score the semi-final golden goal that beat Portugal from a controversial penalty.

Predictably, the tangible recognition of his talent flowed. European and World Player of the Year in 1998. World Player of the Year again in 2000, and for a third time in 2003. During these five years, Zidane scored one of the greatest goals in European Cup history volleying in from eighteen yards to win the 2002 Champions League final. His absence through injury in the 2002 World Cup contributed greatly to the French nadir that saw them crash out in the first round without scoring a goal.

Zidane’s career was on the wane in a way that mirrored the eroding, if not obliteration, of Real Madrid’s empire, at home and in Europe. By the end, Zidane’s cameo in the knockout stages in Germany was as unexpected as it was enthralling. In the preceding season, beset by injuries, he had been almost peripheral in Real Madrid’s unstoppable march to mediocrity. Second place in La Liga hides the real story of the 2005/06 season at the Bernabéu; humiliating inferiority to Barcelona, even greater political chaos at the club than normal, and a creaking team of ageing stars. Figo left, Raúl, Ronaldo, Zidane and Roberto Carlos were becoming near parodies.

It might be argued that the headbutt on Marco Materazzi was not just a response to an alleged racial slur, but an expression of exasperating frustration. Zidane’s performances against Spain and Brazil were the exception, rather than the norm. He could not inspire France to overcome Italy as the final creaked towards the penalty shoot out to which he was a mere spectator.

After 1998, his indiscretions continued, but were generally less severe, and took place in the comparative obscurity of domestic football, with one dismissal in the UEFA Champions League. When he headbutted Materazzi, those who had not been following his career studiously were astounded that such a great player could do something not just so contemptible, but so stupid. Those who did not follow football, but were simply watching because it was the World Cup final and so Midsomer Murders wasn’t on that week, will have the incident as their abiding memory of the player. It is those inbetween who will judge that Zidane has at times graced and disgraced the game with equal temerity. The latter does not taint the former, but the former does not exonerate the latter.

(Mike Martin is a freelance writer and sports journalist from Yorkshire. Contact him at mjefm@hotmail.com)

Tags: France, Italy, Zinedine Zidane

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