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Zinedine Yazid Zidane born 23 June 1972), popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a French
former football midfielder who played for four European clubs, including Juventus
FC and Real Madrid.
As a member and later captain of the French national team he participated in two
World Cup finals - including winning the tournament in 1998 - and in three European
Championships, winning that tournament in 2000.
Having gained fame in Europe as a playmaker for Juventus, Zidane attracted
worldwide attention in the 1998 World Cup final with two headed goals against
Brazil which won his country its first FIFA World Cup.
He also contributed to France's victory in Euro 2000, and at the club level he
went on to win domestic championships in Italy and Spain with Juventus and Real
Madrid respectively.
In the final of the 2001-02 UEFA Champions League he scored the winning goal for
Real Madrid.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he was named "Most Outstanding Player" of the
tournament, receiving the Golden Ball, captaining the French side that reached the
final.
However, Zidane's career ended in disgrace as he was dismissed in extra-time of
the 2006 Final for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi. The red card he
received in the 2006 World Cup Final brought him to equal two negative disciplinary
records (see FIFA World Cup records): most cautions for a player in World Cup games
(six), and most sending-offs (two).
Zidane was elected FIFA World Player of the Year a record-equalling three times
(1998, 2000, 2003), finished in the top-three an additional three times (1997,
2002, 2006).
He was also named European Footballer of the Year in 1998.
The world-record fee of €66 million (US$87 million, £47 million) for his
transfer to Real Madrid in 2001 is the highest ever paid.
In 2004, he topped the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll as the "Best European football
player of the past 50 years", and was included in the FIFA 100, Pelé's list of the
125 greatest living footballers.
As originally announced on 25 April 2006, Zidane retired from professional football
after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Source : Some of the information on this page came
from a Wikipedia article and is licensed under the GNU Documentation
License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
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Zinedine Zidane -
Manifesting Generator - Biography
