History Zizou

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane is born in France on the 23rd of June in 1972. His parents of Algerian descent have a total of five children. As a kid, school is not his strongest asset so he turns to football. By the age of 16, a scout by the name of Jean Varraud recruits the youngster to Cannes. One year later, Zizou makes his debut with the club's senior squad in the French First Division. He is signed by Bordeaux in 1992. With his new club, Zidane reaches the UEFA Cup final in 1995/96 and attracts the attention of European powerhouse Juventus. After his move to Italy, trophies start to to pour in. By 1996, Ziziou had the UEFA Cup, the European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup under his belt. He also won the Italian Calcio twice in a row during 1997 and 1998. In the same two seasons, his club manages to reach the Champions League final twice.
When Real Madrid purchases Zinedine Zidane in the summer of 2001, he becomes the most expensive player of all time. The Spanish club paid a whopping $66 Million for his transfer. In the 2001/02 season, the Frenchman leads Real Madrid to Champions League glory by scoring a spectacular winning goal in the final.

In international competition, Zidane enters the spotlight after carrying his national team to their first World Cup title in 1998. He eventually helps them win their second European title in EURO 2000.
At World Cup 2002, France is eliminated in the first stage. Zizou struggles with an injury at the time and watches most games from the sideline. Two years later at EURO 2004, Zidane's country fails to impress again and is knocked out by tournament surprise Greece. Zidane retires from international football, but returns again in the wake of World Cup 2006.
Individually, Zinedine Zidane has been given every major award that a player can achieve. He has won the precious Balon D'Or in 1998 and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
Currently, Zinedine Zidane is one of the most skillful and technically gifted players in the game. He can settle and distribute almost any pass thrown in his direction. In individual encounters, Zidane prefers to shield the ball and dribble away from pressure. His style is not flashy, but rather simple and elegant. Zidane can apply his playmaking skills in any circumstance and make it look effortless.

Quick Facts

Name	Zinedine Zidane
Starting Number	#5
Born	23 June 1972 in Marseilles, France
Nationality	French
Height	185 cm / 6'2" feet
Weight	80 kg / 176 pounds
Family Status	Married to a Spanish dancer named Veronique with two kids: Enzo (named after Enzo Francescoli) and Luca
Foot	Both
Teams	Cannes (France) Bordeaux (France) Juventus (Italy) Real Madrid (Spain)
Nicknames	Zizou
Skills	All-round player, control, dribbling, passing, creativity