Its like comparin a rodent with a rat...
Diego Maradona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Maradonna)
Jump to: navigation, search
Diego Maradona
Personal information
Full name Diego Armando Maradona
Date of birth October 30, 1960
Place of birth Villa Fiorito, Argentina
Height 166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Nickname El Diez, Pelusa, El Pibe de Oro
Position Striker / Midfielder
Youth clubs
1970-76 Argentinos Juniors
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1976-1981
1981-1982
1982-1984
1984-1991
1992-1993
1993
1995-1997
1976-1997 Argentinos Juniors
Boca Juniors
FC Barcelona
SSC Napoli
Sevilla FC
Newell's Old Boys
Boca Juniors
Total 166 (116)
42 (28)
58 (38)
259 (115)
29 (7)
5 (0)
29 (7)
588 (311)
National team
1977-94 Argentina 91 (34)
* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960), is a former Argentine football player. He is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time[1][2], as well as one of the most controversial. Maradona, like many South American footballers, came from poor beginnings –in his case, from a shanty town known as Villa Fiorito, just outside of Buenos Aires. In 1979 at age 18, he won his first international title, a Youth World Cup, in Japan. In 1981, he won his first senior league title in Argentina with Boca Juniors. A Spanish Cup trophy followed in 1983 with FC Barcelona. He then won multiple trophies with the Italian team SSC Napoli. During an international career that included 91 caps and 34 goals, he played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, inspiring the Argentina national team to victory over West Germany in 1986, where he collected the Golden Ball award.
After retirement from football on October 30, 1997 [3], he suffered ill-health and weight gain subsequent to a long standing problem with cocaine abuse. However, a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain, and after avoiding cocaine for over three years; eventually quiting forever, in 2005 he was enjoying great success as a TV host in Argentina [4].
Contents [hide]
1 Football style
2 Early years
3 Club career
3.1 The Napoli Era
4 International career
4.1 1982 World Cup
4.2 1986 World Cup
4.3 1990 World Cup
4.4 1994 World Cup
5 Retirement and honours
6 Personal agents
7 Personal life
8 Drug abuse and health situation
9 Political views
10 Reputation
11 Career statistics
11.1 Club
11.2 International
12 Honours
12.1 Club honours
12.2 International honours
12.3 Individual honours
13 Coaching career
14 References
15 External links
[edit]
Football style
Maradona had a short, strong physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints [5]. This is illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. He was a strategist, a team player, as well as highly technical with the ball, and could manage himself effectively in limited spaces, attracting defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second goal against England)[6], or give an assist to a free teammate.
One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates that many times proved lethal. Another trademark was the Rabona or reverse-cross pass (shot behind the leg that holds all the weight), with which he provided several assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's header in the 1980 friendly against Switzerland. He was also a dangerous free kick taker.
[edit]
Early years
Diego Armando Maradona was born in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires [7], to a poor family that had moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el Turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were also professional footballers.
At age 10, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions), the junior team of Buenos Aires side Argentinos Juniors. [5] As a ball-boy at the age of 12, in first division games, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions. [8]
[edit]
Club career
Maradona's Boca 1981 match-worn shirt, in his first season with his favourite team that he led to win the Argentine Apertura Metropolitan leagueAt age 15, Maradona made his debut with Argentinos Juniors [3], where he played between 1976 and 1981 before his transfer to the club that he supported, Boca Juniors, where he played during the remainder of the 1981 season and 1982 and secured his first league title.
After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona in Spain.[3] In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid. However, Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona [9]; first a bout with hepatitis, and then an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea that put Maradona's career on the line [3]; Maradona's physical strength and willpower made it possible for him to be back on the pitch after only 14 weeks. It is said that while playing for Barcelona, Maradona was introduced to cocaine, to which he would become addicted. [10]
[edit]
The Napoli Era
Maradona with now retired shirt Napoli's #10.Maradona got into frequent disputes with Barcelona's directors, especially club president Josep Lluís Nuñez and in 1984 he demanded a transfer out of Nou Camp. He subsequently went to Serie A and SSC Napoli, where he became an adored star, lifting the team to its most successful era. Napoli won their only Italian Championships (1986/87 and 1989/1990), a Coppa Italia (1987), a UEFA Cup (1989) and an Italian Supercup (1990). Napoli were also runners-up in the Italian Championship twice (1987/88 and 1988/89).
In Naples, Maradona was present throughout a transformation of the local club. They had traditionally been overshadowed by the teams from the industrial cities in the north, but Maradona's arrival (along with Careca and others) brought them a first scudetto in 1987 [3], followed by a second in 1990, and cup successes. However, he also faced a scandal there regarding an illegitimate son and was the object of some suspicion over his friendship with the Camorra, the local mafia.
Maradona left Napoli in 1992, after serving a 15-month ban for failing the drug test for cocaine, and played for Sevilla FC (1992–93), Newell's Old Boys (1993) and Boca Juniors (1995–97). [3] He also attempted to work as a coach on two short stints, leading Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995) without much success. He retired from football on October 30, 1997.
[edit]
International career
Maradona and the Youth World Cup trophy in 1979.He debuted with the Argentina national football team ("la selección"), at age 16, against Hungary. At age 18, he played the Football World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the USSR team.
[edit]
1982 World Cup
After being left off the squad that won the 1978 World Cup by Cesar Menotti, Maradona played his first World Cup tournament in 1982. In the first round, Argentina, as defending champions, lost to Belgium 0-1. Although the team convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador to progress to the second round, they were defeated in the second round by Italy (1:2), the side which eventually won the cup, and Brazil (1:3), during which game Maradona was sent off for kicking an opponent.
[edit]
1986 World Cup
Maradona inspired the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the team winning 3–2 in the final against West Germany. Throughout the 1986 World Cup, Maradona asserted his dominance and was the best player of the tournament. He played every minute of every game, scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. However, it was the two goals he scored in the quarter-final game against England which cemented his legend. Action replay footage showed that the first goal was scored with the aid of his hand. He later claimed it was the "Hand of God" and described it as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God," implying that God was ultimately responsible for the goal, because the referee had missed the handball offense. However, on 22 August 2005 Maradona acknowledged on his television show that he hit the ball with his hand purposely and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. He recalled thinking right after the goal that
I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came . . . I told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.' [11]
In contrast, Maradona's second goal in the England game was a simply astonishing display of sheer footballing genius. He ran half the length of the pitch, dribbling past five English players (Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher, and Terry Fenwick) as well as goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and shot on goal while falling to the ground. This goal was voted Goal of the Century in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA. Argentina held on to defeat England 2-1 in that game, knocking them out of the tournament. The two goals were ranked 6th in the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002 by the UK's Channel 4 television channel.
He followed this with two other goals in the semi-final against Belgium. In the final, the opposing German side attempted to subdue him by double-marking but he nevertheless found the space to give the final service to Jorge Burruchaga for the winning goal.
[edit]
1990 World Cup
Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. An ankle injury affected his overall performance, and he was much less dominant than four years earlier. In the round of 16 match against Brazil, he assisted Claudio Caniggia on the winning goal (1-0) that allowed his team to advance to the next round. Argentina then faced Yugoslavia in quarterfinals, with the match ending 0-0 after 120 minutes, and Argentina advancing on penalty kicks. Maradona missed one of the penalty kicks, but his team still won 3-2. He scored Argentina's final penalty in the semi-final shoot-out win against the host nation Italy. In the final, Argentina lost 1-0 to West Germany due to a dubious penalty decision in the 85th minute.[12]
[edit]
1994 World Cup
He arrived at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and played two games (scoring one goal) before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. In his autobiography Maradona stated that his personal trainer was giving him a power drink known as Rip Fuel in preparation for the tournament, a drink which in Argentina contained no traces of ephedrine (a stimulant widely used in US sports but banned in football) but which did however in the United States. Having run out of his Argentinian dosage Maradona's trainer bought what he thought was the same formula in the US. Disastrously for Maradona however, the US version contained small traces of ephedrine and he failed the drug test. FIFA subsequently expelled him from USA '94 and the Argentinians, affected by his absence, went home in the second round. Maradona had also suggested that he had an agreement, on which FIFA later reneged, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play, so that the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. This allegation was never proved, and many attribute his comment ("they cut off my legs") to Diego's anger at being suspended.
[edit]
Retirement and honours
In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am The Diego"), which became an instant bestseller [13] in his home country. Later, in 2002, Maradona donated the Cuban royalties of his book to "the Cuban people and Fidel." [14]
Also in 2000, FIFA conducted an poll on the Internet, to find the Player of the Century. Maradona, with 53.6% of the votes, was a clear winner. Then, in a previously unannounced move, FIFA appointed a "Football Family" committee, which voted to elect Pelé to the title. Two awards were made, one to each of the pair: Maradona accepted his prize, but left the awards ceremony without waiting to see Pelé receive his accolade. [1]
In 2001, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) asked FIFA for authorization to retire the jersey number 10 as an homage to Maradona. FIFA did not grant the request, even though Argentine officials have maintained that FIFA hinted that it would. [15]
Maradona has won other polls, including a 2002 FIFA poll in which his second goal against England was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors named team's stadium after Diego Maradona on December 26, 2003.
On 22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a sports vice president in charge of managing the First Division roster (after a disappointing 2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary) [16]. His contract began 1 August 2005, and one of his first recommendations proved to be very effective: he was the one who decided to hire Alfio Basile as the new coach. With Maradona staying very close to the players, Boca went on to win the 2005 Apertura title, the 2006 Clausura title, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana and the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana.
On 15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La Noche del 10 ("The Night of the no. 10"). His main guest on opening night was Pelé; the two had a friendly chat, showing no signs of past differences. In subsequent evenings, he led the ratings on all occasions but one. Most guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business, including Zidane, Ronaldo [17] and Hernán Crespo, but also included interviews with other notable persons such as Fidel Castro and Mike Tyson.
During 2006, Maradona remained aloof of day-to-day activities and was seen mostly on game days, cheering the Boca from his private box in the Bombonera. On August 26, 2006, it was announced that Maradona was quitting his position in the club Boca Juniors over disagreements with the AFA, who selected Alfio to be the coach of the Argentina National Football Team, thus taking him away from the Boca Juniors club.[17].
The award-winning Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica is creating a documentary about Maradona's life, entitled Maradona. The film is currently in post-production, and its release is anticipated in 2006. Italian-Australian actor Marco Leonardi has been confirmed to play the prolific footballer in the film.
In September 2006, Maradona, in his famous blue and white number 10, was the captain for Argentina in a 3-day World Cup of Indoor Football tournament in Spain. Against Spain, Maradona set up the first goal for Argentina with a lob over the top of the defense for his teammate to head it home.
[edit]
Personal agents
Jorge Cyterszpiller, a childhood friend, was Maradona's first agent. He set up Maradona Producciones but did not score any major successes with merchandising, as counterfeiters would quickly imitate any product that came on the market. On his advice, Maradona started charging for interviews, a move that generated some controversy.
After breaking up with Cyterszpiller, Maradona hooked up with Guillermo Coppola, a bank employee who had started representing players as a hobby and was already a major agent in the mid-1980s. Coppola oversaw the biggest contracts of Maradona's career, but also was involved in the drug scandals of the early 1990s. Maradona and Coppola parted ways acrimoniously, and they still refer to the end of their relations as an "open wound".
[edit]
Personal life
Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires, after the birth of their daughters, Dalma Nerea (b. 1987) and Giannina Dinorah (b. 1989). In his autobiography, Maradona admits he was not always faithful to Claudia, even though he refers to her as the love of his life.
Maradona and Villafañe divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma has since asserted that the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. They traveled together to Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005 [18] and were seen together on many other occasions, including the Argentina matches during 2006 FIFA World Cup.
During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he was the father of Diego Sinagra (b. Naples, 1986), as was claimed by the youth's mother Cristiana Sinagra. (The Italian courts had so ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests for proving or disproving his paternity.) Diego Jr. met Maradona for the first time in May 2003 after tricking his way onto a golf course in Naples where Maradona was playing. [19]
After the divorce, Claudia embarked on a career as a theatre producer, and Dalma is seeking an acting career; she has expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles. [20] [21]
[edit]
Drug abuse and health situation
Maradona has had a series of health problems since retirement. Since the 1990s, Maradona has been battling a cocaine addiction, which included spells in Swiss and Cuban detox clinics. Between 2002 and 2005, Maradona spent most of his time in Cuba.
On April 18, 2004, doctors reported that Maradona had suffered a major heart attack following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic. Days after the heart attack, a nurse was caught taking photos of Maradona with a mobile phone and was promptly fired by the hospital managers.
After he showed improvement, Maradona was taken off the respirator on April 23 and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged on April 29. He returned to Cuba in May.
Maradona has always had a tendency to put on weight, and suffered increasingly with obesity from the end of his playing career until undergoing gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on March 6, 2005. When Maradona resumed public appearances shortly thereafter, he displayed a notably thinner figure.
[edit]
Political views
Maradona with the Argentinian president Néstor KirchnerDuring the nineties, Maradona supported the presidency of neoliberal Carlos Menem in Argentina. In more recent years, Maradona has shown more sympathy to left-wing ideologies. He became friends with Fidel Castro while in treatment in Cuba. He has a portrait of Castro tattooed on his left leg and one of Ernesto Che Guevara on his right arm.[22] He has declared his opposition to imperialism, notably during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There he protested George W. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a Stop Bush T-shirt and referring to Bush as "human garbage".[23]
[edit]
Reputation
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.[9] In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("The bride's son"), an actor who plays a fake Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When scolded by a friend for taking the prank too far, the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona".
In Buenos Aires, fans organized the "Church of Maradona." Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. - "Después de Diego" or After Diego - for its founding 200 members. Tens of thousands more [24] have become members via the church's official web site.
Hounded for years by the press, Maradona even fired a compressed-air rifle against reporters who, so he claimed, invaded his privacy. This quote from former teammate Jorge Valdano summarizes the feelings of many:
He is someone many people want to emulate, a controversial figure, loved, hated, who stirs great upheaval, especially in Argentina... Stressing his personal life is a mistake. Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated. [25]
Maradona still generates controversy in England. In 1988, he played in an invitational game at London's Wembley Stadium celebrating the centenary of the English Football League. Maradona was part of the 'Rest of the World XI' playing against the English League XI. Each time that Maradona touched the ball he was subject to angry chants and boos from the crowd. It was reported that he received threats while in England.
A columnist for the sports daily Olé welcomed Maradona's hosting a TV show in 2005, noting that "for the first time, he seems to have found his place in the world outside the football pitch".
A television commercial for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaka and Ronaldo. He wakes up crying that it was a nightmare.
In May 2006, Maradona agreed to take part in UK's Soccer Aid (a program to raise money for Unicef). Maradona showed his skill with the ball and even scored a penalty[26].
[edit]
Career statistics
[edit]
Club
His overall average of goals scored per match in domestic club competitions is 0.53...
[edit]
International
34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina (1977-1994)
Started in 21 consecutive matches for Argentina in four World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
Scored 8 goals and made 8 assists in 21 World Cup appearances, including 5 goals and 5 assists in 1986
Tied for second-highest goal-scorer from Argentina in World Cup finals (equaled Guillermo Stabile's mark in 1994; surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta in 1998)
Zinedine Zidane
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Zidane)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Zidane" redirects here. For other uses, see Zidane (disambiguation).
Zinédine Zidane Personal information
Full name Zinédine Yazid Zidane
Date of birth 23 June 1972
Place of birth Marseille, France
Height 1.85 m (6'1")
Nickname Zizou, ZZ, Yaz
Position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club Retired
Number 5 (Real Madrid)
21 (Juventus F.C.)
10 (France)
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1988-1992
1992-1996
1996-2001
2001-2006 AS Cannes
Girondins de Bordeaux
Juventus F.C.
Real Madrid 61 (6)
139 (28)
191 (28)
155 (34)
National team**
1994-2006 France 108 (31)[1]
* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of July 5, 2006.
** National team caps and goals correct
as of July 10, 2006.
Zinédine Yazid Zidane (IPA: [ˌzineˈdin jaziːd ziˈdan]) (born 23 June 1972), popularly nicknamed Zizou (IPA: [ziˈzu]), is a former French football player of Kabyle ethnicity who has starred for both the French national team and four European club teams, most recently Real Madrid.
In the 1998 World Cup final, Zidane attracted international attention with two headed goals against Brazil that won his country's first ever FIFA World Cup title. He contributed to his teams' victories in the Euro 2000, the UEFA Champions League, and domestic championships in Italy and Spain.
Zidane was elected FIFA World Player of the Year a record-equalling three times (1998, 2000, 2003) and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1998. The world-record fee of € 66 million for his transfer to Real Madrid in 2001 remains unequalled. In 2004, he topped the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll on 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. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, thus receiving the Golden Ball.
As announced on 25 April 2006,[2] Zidane retired from football after the 2006 World Cup Final on 9 July 2006.
Contents [hide]
1 Club career
1.1 Early career, Cannes and Bordeaux (1988–1996)
1.2 Turin and Madrid (1996–2006)
2 International career
2.1 1998 World Cup
2.2 2000 European Championship
2.3 Injuries, retirement and comeback (2002–2006)
2.4 2006 World Cup
2.4.1 Confrontation with Marco Materazzi
3 Honours
4 Personal life
5 Trivia
6 See also
7 Notes
8 External links
[edit]
Club career
[edit]
Early career, Cannes and Bordeaux (1988–1996)
Zidane got his start in football at an early age when he joined the junior team of US Saint-Henri, his local club in the La Castellane district of Marseille. On the recommendation of Saint-Henri's coach, he was then signed by Septemes Sports Olympiques. At the age of 14, Zidane left Septemes and participated in the first year junior selection for the league championship, where Jean Varraud, AS Cannes' recruiter, took notice of him. Zidane went to Cannes for what was intended to be a six-week stay, but remained at the club for four years to play with professionals. Afterwards, Zidane spent four years with FC Girondins de Bordeaux, leading them to victory in the 1995 Intertoto Cup and to a 2nd place in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup tournament. In Bordeaux, he met Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, with whom he played a set of midfield combinations that would become the trademark of both Bordeaux and the 1998 French national team. In 1996, he was transferred to Italy's Juventus F.C. for a fee of £ 3 million.
[edit]
Turin and Madrid (1996–2006)
At Juventus, Zidane was one of the top players of Marcello Lippi's team, along with Didier Deschamps, Alessandro Del Piero, and Edgar Davids. His team won two Serie A titles and reached two consecutive UEFA Champions League finals, in 1997 and 1998, losing both, the latter to the Spanish club Real Madrid.
In 2001, Zidane was transferred to Real Madrid on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was € 66 million, the highest in football history. His fellow Galacticos at Madrid included David Beckham, Raúl González, Luís Figo, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos. He scored a spectacular winning goal in a 2-1 win over the German team Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 Champions League final at Glasgow's Hampden Park.
On 7 May 2006, Zidane played his last home game for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. His team-mates wore special jerseys that had ZIDANE 2001–2006 written on the bottom of the club logo. The Real Madrid fans gave him a warm reception and kept cheering him throughout the game. The opposing team was Villarreal CF, and the game ended in a 3-3 draw. He scored the second goal for Real Madrid. After the game, Zidane swapped jerseys with Juan Roman Riquelme, the Villarreal CF and Argentinian midfielder. Zidane was given an ovation by spectators, which left him in tears.
[edit]
International career
Zidane holds dual citizenship of both France and Algeria, and therefore could have played for Algeria. However, coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied him a position on the team, arguing that the young midfielder was not fast enough.
He earned his first cap with the French national football team on 17 August 1994, coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute of a friendly match against the Czech Republic. France was behind 0-2 when Zidane came on and scored two goals for a 2-2 draw.
At that time, manager Aimé Jacquet had planned to field the team around Manchester United star Eric Cantona, but after Cantona earned a year long suspension in January of 1995, Jacquet rearranged the team and positioned Zidane as playmaker. Despite criticism from fans and pundits regarding the choice of players, France made it to the semi-finals of the Euro 1996, their best performance in an international tournament since the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
[edit]
1998 World Cup
Zidane was a member of the French national football team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. During France's second match of the first round, he received a red card and a two-game suspension in a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia for stamping on Saudi Arabia's team captain Fuad Amin. Reports from people close to Zidane stated that Amin had provoked him verbally.[3] After scoring in the penalty shootout in the quarter-final against Italy, he scored his only regular goals of the tournament in the final against Brazil, leading his team to a 3-0 win.
[edit]
2000 European Championship
In the Euro 2000 tournament, Zidane helped his team reach the final with inspired play and important goals. He scored a direct free kick in the quarter-final against Spain and a golden goal penalty in the semi-final against Portugal. France went on to win the tournament by defeating Italy in the final, making it the first team in 34 years to hold both the World Cup and the European Cup. Subsequently, his team was ranked 1st in the world.
[edit]
Injuries, retirement and comeback (2002–2006)
Zidane in year 2004.A thigh injury prevented Zidane from playing in France's first two matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He rushed back from his injury to play in the third game, but could not perform at his usual level.[4] France was eliminated in the first round without scoring a single goal, and the attempt at defending the World Cup title was unsuccessful.
In the Euro 2004 tournament, Zidane and his team started strongly, and he scored a free kick and a penalty in a come-from-behind victory against England in the group stage. On 12 August 2004, after France was upset in the quarter-finals to the eventual winners, the Greek national football team, Zidane retired from international football.[5]
However, after France experienced problems in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Zidane announced on 3 August 2005 that he was coming back to play for France and was reinstated as captain of the national team.[6] He made his competitive return in the 3-0 FIFA World Cup qualifier win against the Faroe Islands on 3 September 2005, and France went on to win their qualifying group.[7]
On 25 April 2006, after an injury-plagued season at Real Madrid, Zidane announced that he would retire from professional football following the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.[8]
On 27 May 2006, Zidane earned his 100th cap for France in a 1-0 victory over Mexico at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris. It was his last match in the stadium, and he became only the fourth French player after Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps and Lilian Thuram to earn a hundred national caps. He was substituted early in the second half.[9]
[edit]
2006 World Cup
A young French girl celebrating "Zizou"In the closing minutes of France's second match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, against South Korea, Zidane received a yellow card for a late tackle, his second booking of the tournament. As a result, he was suspended from the third and final match of the group stage.[10] France nonetheless beat Togo 2-0, allowing Zidane to play in the knockout stage, from which he would score or assist in every match afterwards.[11] He returned to the pitch in the Round of 16 match against Spain. Zidane set up Patrick Vieira for the second goal by sending a free kick into the penalty area. During stoppage time, he scored the final goal of the match for a 3-1 victory.
The win sent France into a quarter-final against defending champions Brazil, in a rematch of the 1998 final. Zidane's free-kick led to a goal by Thierry Henry, giving France a 1-0 win over the Seleção. Despite the score, France had thoroughly outplayed Brazil in the match, only facing one shot on goal, while Zidane created numerous scoring chances with his dribbles past defenders, displaying some of his trademark juggling as Brazillians swarmed around him. He was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group.[12] In the semi-final against Portugal four days later, Zidane scored a penalty kick against Ricardo for the only goal of the match and saw France through to the final against Italy.
On 9 July 2006, Zidane played his second World Cup final—his final game—and scored in the 7th minute from the penalty spot with a chip shot that hit the crossbar before narrowly bouncing behind the goal line. He became one of only four footballers to achieve the feat of scoring in two different World Cup finals, sharing the honour with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá. This goal also made him one of the top goalscorers in World Cup final matches, with 3 goals, tied for first place with Vavá, Geoff Hurst and Pelé. He was sent off (see below) in the 110th minute, and thus did not participate in the penalty shootout which Italy won 5-3. Despite the subsequent controversy over his offence in the final, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as Best Player in the 2006 World Cup.[13]
[edit]
Confrontation with Marco Materazzi
Zinedine Zidane headbutting Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup Final (see animated image, video, front angle video)In the 110th minute of the World Cup final against Italy, Zidane was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest in an off the ball incident. The two players exchanged words before Zidane began to walk away from him. Materazzi then shouted something to Zidane, who turned around, made a run-up and head-butted Materazzi in the chest, sending him to the ground. Although play was halted, referee Horacio Elizondo did not appear to have seen the confrontation. According to match official's reports, Fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo informed Elizondo of the incident through his earphones. After consulting his assistant referees, Elizondo showed Zidane the red card and sent him off.
Provocation
Since video footage suggested that Materazzi had provoked Zidane, newspapers had lip readers try to determine what Materazzi had said, coming up with a variety of insults.[14] Materazzi admitted insulting Zidane, but said that Zidane's behaviour had been very arrogant. He stressed that the insults had been trivial.[15][16] Zidane later stated that Materazzi had seriously and repeatedly insulted his mother and his sister and that he would "rather have taken a blow to the face than hear that". He also apologized to viewers, particularly children and educators, but said that he did not regret his offence because he felt that this would condone Materazzi's actions.[17] Two months later, in continuing to assert that his comments had been trivial, Materazzi refused to apologize to Zidane, but stated his desire for reconciliation.[18]
Reactions
After the final, President Jacques Chirac hailed Zidane as a national hero and called him a "man of heart and conviction".[19] Chirac later added that he found the offence to be unacceptable, but that he understood that Zidane had been provoked.[20] President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria expressed his solidarity with Zidane in a letter of support.[21] French newspaper Le Figaro called the headbutt "odious" and "unacceptable".[22] The editor-in-chief of French sports daily L'Équipe compared Zidane's greatness to Muhammad Ali's, but added that Ali, Jesse Owens and Pelé had never "broken the most elementary rules of sport" as Zidane had. He questioned how Zidane could explain the offence to "millions of children around the world", but apologised the following day.[23] Algerian newspaper L'Expression accused Italy of being "xenophobic",[24] while a commentator for TIME magazine regarded the incident as a symbol for Europe's "grappling with multi-culturalism".[25] Zidane's sponsors announced that they would stick with him.[26] The incident was extensively lampooned on the internet and in popular culture.
FIFA investigation
In light of Zidane's statements, FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings to investigate the incident.[27] FIFA also affirmed the legality of Horacio Elizondo's decision to send Zidane off, rejecting claims that fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo had illegally relied on video transmission before informing Elizondo about Zidane's misconduct.[28] As a result of its investigation, FIFA issued a CHF5000 fine and a two-match ban against Materazzi, while Zidane received a three-match ban and a CHF7500 fine. According to FIFA, both players had stressed that Materazzi's comments had been defamatory, but not of a racist nature. Since Zidane was already retired at the time, he served three days of community service on FIFA's behalf, as a substitute for the three-match ban.[29]
[edit]
Honours
UEFA Club Football Awards, Best Midfielder: 1997-98
World Soccer Player of the Year|: 1998
FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2003
European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or): 1998
UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2001-02
UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (Best European player of the past 50 years): 2004
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Award: 2006
With France
FIFA World Cup
Winner: 1998
Runner Up: 2006
Appearances: 1998, 2002, 2006
European Championship
Winner: 2000
Appearances: 1996, 2000, 2004
With Girondins de Bordeaux
UEFA Cup runners up: 1995/1996
With Juventus F.C.:
Italian League - Serie A champions (scudetto): 1996/1997, 1997/1998
European Super Cup: 1996
Intercontinental Cup: 1996
Italian Super Cup: 1997
UEFA Champions League runners up: 1996/1997, 1997/1998
With Real Madrid:
Spanish Super Cup: 2001, 2003
UEFA Champions League: 2001/2002
Intercontinental Cup: 2002
Spanish League - La Liga champions: 2002/2003
European Super Cup: 2002
Personal honours:
Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur: since 1998[30]
Torchbearer for the 2004 Summer Olympics
Prince of Asturias Awards nomination in the Sports category, 2006.[31]
Preceded by:
Inaugural Winner UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder
1997-98 Succeeded by:
David Beckham
Preceded by:
Ronaldo World Soccer Player of the Year
1998 Succeeded by:
Rivaldo
Preceded by:
Ronaldo European Footballer of the Year
1998 Succeeded by:
Rivaldo
Preceded by:
Ronaldo FIFA World Player of the Year
1998 Succeeded by:
Rivaldo
Preceded by:
Rivaldo FIFA World Player of the Year
2000 Succeeded by:
Luis Figo
Preceded by:
Stefan Effenberg UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player
2001-02 Succeeded by:
Gianluigi Buffon
Preceded by:
Ronaldo FIFA World Player of the Year
2003 Succeeded by:
Ronaldinho
Preceded by:
Oliver Kahn FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
2006 Succeeded by:
Incumbent
[edit]
Personal life
Zidane was born in Marseille, France to Kabyle immigrants, as the youngest of five children, and raised in La Castellane, a government-sponsored housing project (cité HLM) in the city's northern suburbs (the Quartier Nord). His parents Ismail (اسماعيل) and Malika (ملكه) were originally from the village of Aguemone, in the Kabylie region of northern Algeria.[32] In 1993, he married Véronique Zidane (née Lentisco), a former French dancer and model of Spanish origin whose parents lives in Rodez, Aveyron, France.[33] They have four sons: Enzo (born 24 March 1995), Luca (born 13 May 1998), Théo (born 18 May 2002), and Élyaz (born 26 December 2005).
[edit]
Trivia
Zidane's name is of Arabic origin (Algerian Arabic: Zīn ad-Dīn Yazīd Zīdān, Arabic: زين الدين يزيد زيدان, transliteration: Zayn-u-Dīn Yazīd Zaydān). Zinédine translates to "the beauty of the religion" (Arabic Zayn-u-Dīn—from zayn, "beauty", and dīn, "religion; faith"). Yazid is a boy's name, sometimes spelled Yazeed (Arabic Yazīd, "one who increases, becoming greater"). Zidane is expressing the overabundance of something that the bearer of name is said to possess, such as talent (Arabic Zaydān—from zayd, "overabundant", and an, "two"). The nickname Zizou was given to Zidane by coach Rolland Courbis while Zidane played for Girondins de Bordeaux. Yaz is the nickname given to him by his brothers and used by his family and close friends.[34][35]
Allegations by members of controversial French right-wing party Front National that Zidane's father was a Harki (an Algerian who fought for the French during the Algerian War of Independence), have been strongly denied by Zidane. He is said to be very proud of his family and his heritage, identifying himself as "first, a Kabyle from La Castellane, then an Algerian from Marseille, and then a Frenchman." [34]
Zidane is known to be modest, quiet and shy. However, he has occasionally shown a quick temper on the pitch. Besides his controversial offence in the 2006 World Cup final, he received a red card and a two-game suspension for stomping on Saudi Arabia's team captain Fuad Amin in the 1998 World Cup – allegedly in response to an insult – and headbutted Jochen Kientz in a 2000/2001 Champions League match between Juventus and Hamburger SV, for which he was also sent off.[3] Overall, he was sent off 14 times in his career which is considered quite low for a player as exposed as him.[36] He is one of four players that have been sent off in a World Cup final, one of two players that have been sent off during two different World Cup tournaments (the other player being Cameroon's Rigobert Song)[37] and the only player ever to be sent off during extra time of a World Cup final.[38]
Zidane has had sponsorship deals with companies including Adidas, Lego, Danone, Generali, France Télécom, Orange, Audi, Ford and Christian Dior. Sponsorship deals like these earned him €8.6 million on top of his €6.4 million Real Madrid salary in the 2005-06 season, making him the sixth highest paid football player.[39] In 2004, Forbes magazine had named him the 42nd highest paid athlete in the world at earnings of US$15.8 million a year.[40]
Zidane is the President for Life for Nouvelle Vague [41], a club in Marseille coached by his brother Farid (فريد).
In 2001, Zidane was appointed as the United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador for the fight against poverty.[42]
Since 2000, Zidane has been consistently voted one of the most popular French personalities in newspaper polls. He was voted most popular in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2006, second most popular in 2005, and fourth most popular in 2001 and in 2002. [43]