HISTORY LEESSON Zinedine Yazid Zidane. He is , is a French assistant coach and sporting director at Real Madrid, and a retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for the French 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 by UEFA,[6] and has been described as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. 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 2000 where he was named Player of the tournament. The World Cup triumph made him a national hero in France, and he received the Légion dhonneur in 1998. Zidane has won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, a feat achieved only by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and the Ballon dOr 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 award in 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. In November 2010, Zidane was appointed as a special adviser to Real Madrids first team in response to an appeal made by Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for the former Real midfielder to work more closely with the team. In his new role, Zidane is expected to participate in Champions League events and functions. He is also to travel with the first team on a regular basis and participate in pre-match gatherings, training sessions and meetings with the head coach. In July 2011 it was announced that he would become Real Madrids new sporting director. In 2013, Zidane was appointed assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. What is your best footballing memory of Zizou?
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 18:15:00 +0000
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