Truly end of a era in French football as his retirement follows the Lillian Thuram, Bixente Lizarazu and Marcel Desailly. And at appropriate one as it gives way to young players…
In the contemporary football everybody else pales in comparison to this guy.
Truly one of the greats of the game who will be sadly missed.
Zinedine ‘Zizou’ Zidane is without any doubt the best player the world has seen in the last decade. Anyone thinking otherwise has either not been watching football, or needs glasses.
Of the current generation he is the only one who can be compared to the likes of Pele, Cruijff, Maradonna, Beckenbauer. Indeed along with these four he completes the top 5 best footballers ever.
His technique and skill unmatched already, the flair and soft touch to go along with it made it a lust for the eye to watch. His passing ability and free-kicks are already legendary.
I’d like to share some Zizou-moments with you all:
WC’98 final: Twice Zizou perfectly heads in a perfect corner. The second one between the legs of the defender.
during play Desailly passes to Deschamps and then to Zidane: commentator: “Desailly passes to Deschamps, the loyal soldier in midfield…and here’s the General himself”
Euro 2000: The freekick against Spain in the Qfinal…the goalkeeper desperately trying to keep it out
Against Portugal, Zidane gets the ball: “The conductor,…czu compared to Zidane the rest is nothing more than the orchestra”
Euro 2000: agsint Denmark in the group stage: the cross-over over the ball was just stunning. He made this trick his trademark and we see that new boys are trying to emulate him recently
-Champion’s League 2002 Q final against enemies Barcelona: A superb counter that Zidane’s finished with a majestic lob…the commentator: “What a perfect lob…the keeper is allowed to touch the ball with his fingers. That’s the only honour he receives from Zidane. The ball got clear instructions from Zidane’s foot to land into the net whatever happens”
Champion’s League 2002 final: The overhead volley from a cross by Carlos. Directed meticulously into the left top corner. Keeper had no chance. Zidane, the absolute grand master"
Euro 2004, against England. 90 minutes are over. The Brits are already celebrating, when France get an innocent looking freekick outside th area (20 metres). Zidane’s magical touch, and the ball finds it way to the far corner with the keeper only able to watch it glide past him. 40 seconds later, Ziddou burries the penalty into the right corner. Keeper once against nowhere to be seen. Commentator: “This, with full right, can be called a phenomenon!”
Maestro, General, Absolute Grandmaster, Conductor, Zizou: these are just a few of the many names Zidane received throughout his career :k:
Clearly the jewel in the crown of modernday football will be missed
Indeed a great player! :k:
I had the pleasure to meet him and a few others last year at the Hilton on 6th and 56th when they were shooting that ad for TV.
from goal.com
*A Legend Bows Out At ZZ Top
The end of a major tournament is often the time when seasoned players announce their retirement from the international stage. The aftermath of Euro 2004 has been no different, with several familiar faces bowing out to concentrate on club football. But the news that Zinedine Zidane, 32, has called time on his France career brought a lump to the throat.
Zidane was the embodiment and figurehead of the team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Zidane pulled the strings in that team. Full-back Bixente Lizarazu summed up the importance of the Marseille-born midfielder in a telling admission: “When we don’t know what to do, we just give the ball to Zizou and he works something out.”
Nobody has worked things out better during the last six years than Zidane, the most influential Frenchman since Michel Platini 20 years ago.
Revered as France’s saviour, Zidane made his international debut in 1994 as a 22-year-old, scoring twice to level against the Czechs within 17 minutes of coming on as substitute. A more famous brace – both rare headers – helped defeat Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final, and this summer his two late set-pieces snatched victory from defeat against England at Euro 2004.
Yet despite a scoring record of 26 goals in 93 internationals, his main contribution has been as a playmaker. The man voted World player of the year in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and European player of the year in 1998 has been a brilliant provider of goals for others, his ability to deceive opponents on the ball creating space for himself and colleagues which he exploits with passes of sublime judgement and dazzling technique.
He became France’s captain in succession to Marcel Desailly but was always their leader on the pitch, the star who did so much to raise the profile of French football. He will now focus solely on a club career that involved Cannes, Bordeaux and Juventus before a world record fee of £46m took him to Real Madrid. Internationally, thanks for the memories Zizou.
*
A great player indeed 
France have been a great team for the last ten years but without Zidane they would have been just another hard working team. Everything creative came through him, and it's fair to rank him up there with the Cruyffs, Maradonnas and Platinis. Took the game to a level beyond the rest of his generation and so deserves the title of one of the greatest to have graced the game. It won't be the same watching France that's for sure.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by NeSCio: *
Full-back Bixente Lizarazu summed up the importance of the Marseille-born midfielder in a telling admission: "When we don’t know what to do, we just give the ball to Zizou and he works something out."
[/QUOTE]
This statement tells it all. He will be missed on international scene.
:(
A great player indeed - but I don’t see him as a top 5 - Really - I don’t even think Zidane is the best French to play soccer - and i know a good amount of people that would put Platini in front of him!
To give you an idea - the French weekly magazine France-Football consulted their former “Ballon D’Or” winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. Their top 10 were:
Indeed. :k:
^by the same token, UEFA conducted a poll for football fans for the best European player ever, and it was Zidane on number one ahead of the likes of Platini, Cruijff etc
Fair enough - I respect all opinions - I can't deny he is a great player - one of the best. Ranking players of a different era isn't an easy task - IMO he isn't the best European player ever.