(French pronunciation: [zinedin zidan] (
), born 23 June 1972), nicknamed “Zizou”, is a former French footballer and current coach of Real Madrid Castilla. He played as an attacking midfielder for theFrench national team, Juventus and Real Madrid.[4][5] Renowned for his elegance, vision and technique, Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll,[6] and has been described as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.[7][8][9]
At club level, Zidane won the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned sides. His 2001 transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid set a world record fee of an equivalent €75 million. On the international stage with France, Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice in the final, and UEFA Euro 2000where he was named Player of the Tournament. The World Cup triumph made him a national hero in France, and he received the Légion d’honneur in 1998.
Zidane has won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, a feat achieved only by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,[10]and the Ballon d’Or once. He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 1996, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2001 and La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2002. Zidane received the Golden Ball at the 2006 World Cup, and in the final was infamously sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest. Following the tournament, Zidane retired from football.
After retirement, Zidane became assistant coach at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti for the 2013–14 season. After a successful year in which the club won the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey, Zidane became the coach of Real Madrid’s B team, Real Madrid Castilla.[11]