Zinedine Zidane is a name that everyone has heard at least once. Whether you’re a football fan or just a scriptwriter in Hollywood, Zinedine Zidane is one of the best names in football history. His life is so interesting that it would be a shame not to read Zinedine Zidane Biography.
Marseille-born Zinedine Zidane, a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, led France to World Cup victory in 1998 and played in Ligue 1, Serie A, and La Liga. Zidane was sent out for headbutting in the 2006 World Cup final, the last scene of his beautiful career. Zidane is still a football legend, especially after what he has done as coach in Real Madrid.
French-born Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the sport’s most respectable figures. There’s obviously more to hear about Zinedine Zidane life story, which is why you should read Zinedine Zidane biography.
Everything About Zinedine Zidane Biography
You asked, Footbalium wrote. Here is everything to know about Zinedine Zidane, and his incredible career.
Zinedine Zidane’s Early Life
Zinedine Zidane real name is Zinedine Yazid Zidane. He was born on June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France. Zinedine Zidane’s parents were Algerian immigrants. Since Algerians like to play football, they sent their kids to the community to get along with them. He started playing football on the streets of Marseille.
Jean Varraud, a recruiter for AS Cannes, saw Zidane at a French Football Federation training camp when he was 14. He was impressed by his talents. Zidane joined Cannes in 1989 after playing for the US Saint-Henri junior team. He quickly became the leader of the team.
He was a tall, skilled midfielder with a muscular physique, excellent footwork, and field vision. AS Cannes was his turning point, and since then, Zinedine Zidane biography has begun to take shape.
Zinedine Zidane’s Statistics
Zinedine Zidane’s elegance and technique changed football. The French midfielder was born with a golden foot and won every trophy he could. He is an exceptional athlete who finished his legendary career with Real Madrid. No matter how you look at it, Zinedine Zidane stats are the best, but let’s look at them closely and see why.
Club Career
After spending time at the Cannes Youth level, Zinedine Zidane decided to pursue a career in football. He made his professional debut at 17 and scored his first goal in Cannes. Zidane joined Bordeaux in 1992, and it was there that he made himself known.
Among the many highlights of his time with the club were winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup versus Karlsruhe and finishing second in the 1995-96 UEFA Cup, which they lost to Bayern Munich. He played 179 games for Bordeaux, scoring 39 goals, and assisting 21.
Yet, he showed mastery by knowing how to handle the ball at his feet, how to dribble past the defense, where to pass it to find an open teammate, and how hard to shoot for the goal. At that time, Zidane was a superstar.
When Zinedine Zidane stats peaked in 1996, he signed a five-year contract with UEFA Champions League champion Juventus. Zidane’s impact on the Italian club was immediate, as he was key in their Serie A championship and Intercontinental Cup success in 1996. Despite Zidane’s seven goals in 32 games, the team won the Scudetto in 97/98.
He scored 21 goals in 212 games with the Bianconeri squad. He earned the award for Best Foreign Player in Serie A twice in his career. Zidane signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid in 2001, worth a record 150 billion Italian lire. In his first season, Zidane scored the game-winning volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final.
Real Madrid’s historic journey continued in 2003 when the team won the La Liga championship. He was named the finest European footballer in UEFA history in 2004. Zizou had scored more goals than everyone else in the league except Ronaldo by the end of the 2006 season.
The 2006 season was Zidane’s last as a player before he went to the World Cup, which caused a lot of controversies. In the next part of Zinedine Zidane biography, we will talk about his journey with France’s National Team.
International Career
His career was at its best when the 1998 World Cup was held in France. Zidane led Les Bleus all the way to the finals, where his dribbling and accurate passing helped France beat Brazil with two goals. After France beat Brazil in the World Cup finals, he became a national hero.
In 2000, he led France to victory at the European Championship, where they beat Italy 2-1. Zidane said he was leaving football before the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. During the extra time, his opponent, Marco Materazzi, insulted his family and talked badly about his sister.
To get revenge on the Italian, he headbutted him in the chest, which got Zizou out of the game. In the end, France lost to Italy in a penalty shootout, and Zizou’s football career was over. Yet, his legacy would live on.
Coaching Career
Coaching Real Madrid Castilla was a turning point in Zinedine Zidane biography. Zidane was given a two-year contract in June 2014 as the head coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the B team. In addition to managing the first team and Castilla, the French genius has also been an adviser to the president and an assistant manager for the first team.
In 2016, he was given the job of managing Real Madrid, which was an even bigger challenge. With him in charge, Madrid set an all-time joint record by winning 16 straight La Liga games.
He led the team to victories in the 2016 and 2017 UEFA Champions League, the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup, and the 2017 UEFA Super Cup. After that, he won the 2017 FIFA Best Men’s Coach Award. His second spell as Real Madrid manager lasted from March 11, 2019, to May 2021. Real Madrid experienced a streak of poor outcomes in the months following Zidane’s departure.
For the summer of 2019, Madrid spent more than €350 million on players such as Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Reinier, and others. On January 12, 2020, Zidane and Real Madrid won the Supercopa de España. This was Zidane’s first trophy as a manager in his second term.
Both foreign and Spanish media outlets praised Zidane’s team’s mentality, as 21 of his players scored goals, and Real Madrid posted the league’s greatest defensive record in 30 years.
Zinedine Zidane’s Playing Style
We dedicate this part of Zinedine Zidane biography to those who couldn’t watch him play and enjoy his magic. Two main things make Zidane a great player on the field. Zidane had a great first touch and a high level of technique, which were both very important. The technique is important because Zidane was so skilled; he could do everything he thought up.
One thing is knowing what to do in theory, and another is actually doing it. Even though many players have great footwork and technique, Zidane stands out because he had skills that no one else has.
Zinedine Zidane was one of the most stylish and technically skilled players of all time. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder but could also play deeper or even more forward. Zidane was a playmaker and a general in midfield. Whether he was dribbling past defenders, taking shots, or making openings for his team, his timing, and decisions were always perfect.
He created more space for himself by dribbling opponents. This allowed him to think about his next move in greater depth. It might be unpopular for some, but Zizou is one of the greatest dribblers in football history.
Zinedine Zidane’s Legacy
The legacy is the most important part of Zinedine Zidane biography. With all the honors and awards he has won, Zinedine Zidane has left an indelible mark on the world of football. In 2004, the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll chose him as the best football player in Europe ever.
Even Pele put him on his list of 125 greatest live football players of all time, called the FIFA 100. In 1998 and 2002, he won the award for “French Player of the Year.” He has won the Ballon d’Or three times and is one of only a few football players who have ever won the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
In March 2001, Zidane was named the UN Goodwill Ambassador. With this title, he leads a team of former great football players against a team led by Ronaldo, a former great player and an ambassador to the UN. Zidane was a big part of the campaign in 2010 that led to Qatar getting the right to host the World Cup in 2022.
Zinedine Zidane’s Family and Children
It won’t be a complete biography if we don’t talk about Zinedine Zidane’s wife and children. As stated multiple times before in Zinedine Zidane Biography, the Frenchman was born in Marseille to Algerian parents. Zinedine Zidane is the son of Smaïl and Malika. He has four elder brothers and sisters to look up to. His Algerian Kabyle Berber ancestors came from La Castellane, a district in northern Marseille.
While his father was a warehouseman by profession, his mother was a homemaker. Unlike people in the neighborhood, the Zidane family was a respected lot and lived reasonably comfortably, unlike others who were unemployed and involved in high crime. Zidane met Veronique Fernandez while playing for ‘AS Cannes’ in the 1988-89 season.
Zidane and Fernandez got married in 1994. Enzo Alan Zidane Fernandez, Luca Zinedine Zidane Fernandez, Theo Fernandez, and Elyaz Zidane Fernandez are the couple’s four children. Luca and Enzo were members of ‘Real Madrid Academy.’ but after their father’s departure from Los Blancos, Luca joined Rayo Vallecano, and Enzo left for Alavés. However, Elyaz plays for Real Madrid U18, and Theo Zidane is an important part of Real Madrid Castilla.
Zinedine Zidane’s Honors
Zidane also won the “FIFA World Player of the Year” three times in 1998, 2000, and 2003. He has won a lot of awards, including “FIFA World Cup Final Man of the Match,” “FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers,” and “FIFA World Cup Golden Ball.” He was a member of both the “FIFA World Cup All-Star Team” and the “FIFA World Cup Dream Team.”
Zidane won the “Ballon d’Or” award in 1998. In 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003, he won the “European Player of the Year” title. He is one of the few great players to have won both the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or. Zidane won the “French Player of the Year” award in 1998 and 2002. As you can see, he has won a lot of awards, but Zinedine Zidane biography isn’t done yet. Here is the complete list of Zinedine Zidane’s honors.
Honors as a player
- 1 European Cup
- 1 Intercontinental Cup
- 1 European Championship with France
- 1 World Cup with France
- 1 European Super Cup
- 1 League
- 2 Spanish Super Cups
Honors as a coach
- 3 European Cup
- 2 FIFA Club World Cup
- 2 European Super Cup
- 2 League
- 2 Spanish Super Cup
Zinedine Zidane’s Life Outside of Football
Zinedine Zidane’s life outside of the football field is pretty much a hot topic, and it should be covered in Zinedine Zidane biography. First of all, let’s talk about his religion. Zidane is probably the most well-known Muslim football player ever.
He was one of the best players of all time. He really is a good person and a gentleman. Zizou is also well-known among Muslims and football fans, as shown by the number of people who follow him on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Zidane has the largest fan base on social media accounts among football managers. Zidane is also the face of Mango Man. He has also been in ads for Adidas, Audi, Christian Dior, and Lego, among other brands. But Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt on Marco Materazzi is one of the most remarkable scenes of the century.
