Zinedine Zidane: From man to god and back

The indisputable facts of Zinedine Zidane’s participation in the 2006 World Cup in Germany are as follows: matches played: 6, goals scored: 3, yellow cards received: 3, red cards received: 1. Everything else has become the subject of such debate and speculation that for many Italy’s triumph has become almost an afterthought.

Of the galaxy of stars assembled at the World Cup, it was “Zizou” who shone brightest and most brilliantly before exploding like a supernova in Berlin. In truth his form did not match that of the Italian skipper Cannavaro, the tournament’s outstanding defender, yet his brand of determined rearguard brilliance cannot capture the imagination as Zidane’s.

Not since Maradona in Mexico '86 has one player been so much the focal point of attention at football’s quadrennial carnival. And not since Maradona's “hand of god” goal against England has a player produced a moment of such scandal and controversy as Zidane: a headbutt to the chest of Italian defender Materazzi which earned him a dismissal in the final. It was the last act in the career of the greatest talent the game has seen for the past 15 years

The second coming

Zidane was not even supposed to be at the World Cup having retired from international football two years earlier after the European Championships in Portugal. A lacklustre France crashed out at the quarter-final stage to eventual winners Greece and it seemed Zidane’s days with les blues had come to an underwhelming conclusion.

His club career at Real Madrid seemed to be following suit. There was a glorious climax to his first season with Real when he struck a stunning volleyed winner in the European Cup final to add the most prestigious prize in club football to his international honours. But that proved to be the high point as Real crumbled under the hubris the “galacticos” policy. In his final seasons Zidane seemed tired and jaded, even his great talents unable to lift Madrid’s bloated squad above mediocrity.

With France struggling in their World Cup qualifying campaign, the call went up for the old guard to return. Zidane, along with fellow retirees Thuram and Makelele, was coaxed out of retirement by coach Domenech. Viera gladly yielded the captaincy back to Zidane.

No doubt the frustrations of his last years in Madrid tempted him to return to les blues for the chance of one more trophy and a glorious send-off. He negotiated an annulment of the final year of his contract with Real and announced that he would retire from all football at the end of the World Cup. Win or lose, France’s last match in Germany would be the last match of his career.

Yet Zidane's return proved to be no panacea to France’s woes. They limped through to the finals and arrived in Germany as firm outsiders. Abject displays in their opening two games did little to inspire confidence. There were rumours of a rift between Domenech and his captain, Zidane having stormed off angrily after being substituted against South Korea. With France in danger of elimination and Zidane suspended for the final group match it seemed the grand ending to his career he sought would instead be another disappointment.

Against Togo, France needed to win to be sure of a place in the knockout rounds. Win they did, sans Zizou, with an improved display which had some questioning if the captain should return. Zidane, they said, was too old, too slow and too ponderous to play alongside the young guns in the French team. Would Domenech do the unthinkable and drop his captian for the clash with Spain?

France lined up with Zidane, but for perhaps the first time in a decade they found themselves as underdogs against an impressive young Spanish side. Spanish supporters, having seen the end of Zidane’s club career only weeks before, brought banners reading “Au revoir, Zidane”, so confident were they of ending what remained of his career. But it instead turned out to be “Adios Espana”, Zidane himself capping a resurgent French victory by skipping past Puyol, Spain’s finest defender, and slotting home in the final moments.

Most thought Zidane had merely earned himself a stay of execution, as France faced tournament favourites Brazil next. Up against Ronaldinho, his successor as FIFA’s official best player in the world, he responded by producing one of the all-time great World Cup performances. Rolling back the years, his full repertoire of touches, dribbles, flicks and passes was on show. From the very first minute he mesmerised and confounded the Brazilians and set up the winner for Henry with a wonderfully flighted free kick, all while never threatening to score a goal himself. Zidane’s performance demonstrated again that he was the playmaker supreme; a virtuoso whose artistry functions for the betterment of the team.

Portugal were dispatched in the semi-final, a largely forgettable match settled with a Zidane penalty. He now had his date with destiny; the final match of his career would be a World Cup final against Italy. To lead his country to a second world championship would surely provide confirmation of what many already professed and still do: that Zidane belongs alongside names such as Pele, Beckenbauer and Maradona as one of very greatest players the game has known.

Despite the presence of other world class talents in their squad, Zidane’s teammates spoke of him in almost reverential terms. When quizzed on the reason for their confidence before the final more than one French player answered to the effect of “we have Zizou and they don’t”.

Early in the match, Malouda tumbled in the area and France were awarded a penalty. As in the semi up stepped the captain. His previous attempt from the spot has been a powerful effort whipped into the low into left corner. Facing Buffon, rated by most as the world’s best keeper, he produced an audacious chip of such backspin that it hit the crossbar before bouncing down over the line, hitting the crossbar again and then out. Zidane tuned away to celebrate sheepishly, knowing how close his daring had come to costing his team.

Italy equalised shortly with a header from Materazzi, but after half-time France began to dominate. The talk before the final was of how the aging legs of Zidane and others would be exploited by the Italians, but instead it was the French who looked full of energy. Following their captain's lead, the other veterans of the French side seemed to summon untapped reserves of will for a final push to victory.

Just before the half-time in extra-time, Zidane slid the ball out to Sagnol on the right. The full-back delivered a perfect cross into the area towards Zidane, who had continued his run. For once the tiring Italian defence failed to pick him up and he rose to power a header towards goal. Buffon denied him with a majestic leaping save. Zidane had almost sealed his own fairy tale ending.

“Oh, Zinedine. Pa ça, Zinedine.”

The dream had been so close, but now came the nightmare. With 10 minutes to go, after exchanging words with Materazzi, the same famed, balding scalp responsible for those two headed goals in the ’98 final in Paris delivered a firm coup de tête to the Italian’s chest. Materazzi could not have collapsed more dramatically if he had been shot, but Zidane’s punishment was inevitable: a red card.

The reaction of French TV commentators was shock, disbelief, confusion, despair. French supporters in the stadium, not privy to replays of the incident, howled their disapproval until the final whistle. With both teams drained and the atmosphere poisoned, the remainder of the game spluttered towards a penalty shoot-out, won by Italy after a solitary miss by Trezeguet.

In the immediate aftermath Zidane remained silent. Materazzi has never been anyone’s idea of a sporting gentleman and doubtless it was some obscene comment which provoked Zidane. News organisations around the world scrambled to find lip-readers to decipher the Italian’s insults. Common suggestions were slurs on Zidane’s family or his Algerian-Muslim heritage. For his part Materazzi only issued a few clumsy statements of defence.

The day after it emerged that Zidane had won the “Golden Ball” award for player of the tournament on votes cast by journalists before the conclusion of the final. FIFA president Blatter, clueless to a fault, made the hollow suggestion that Zidane’s could be stripped of the award.

In an eventual TV interview, Zidane was reticent about details, saying only the insults concerned his mother and sister. "I do apologise but I don't regret my behaviour because regretting it would mean he was right to say what he said." Non, je ne regrette rien.

The Player. The Icon. The Man.

It was estimated that over one billion people watched the final in Berlin. Over the past 15 years through his exploits for France, Cannes, Boudreaux, Juventus and Real Madrid, Zidane has been possibly the most watched player at a time when football’s appeal has never been greater.

His footballing story has now come to a bitter end, but manner in which it has captivated the world is a testament sport’s unique cultural appeal and capacity for human drama. Twice Zidane has appeared on football’s greatest stage and in those two performances he has shown us ecstasy and agony, genius and madness, glory and shame, joy and anger, triumph and defeat.

The world first knew Zidane the player; one of peerless touch, vision and control. Since that night in Paris it has known Zidane the icon; of France, of racial integration, of Gallic flair and genius; of football’s global appeal. After Berlin, not for the first time but more starkly than ever, it knows the Zidane the man; capable of sporting feats most can only dream of, yet also capable of the same follies and weaknesses as the rest of us. If you prick him, will he not bleed? And if you wrong him, shall he not revenge?

The world watched to see Zidane ascend to the footballing pantheon, but was instead reminded that a man with god-like talent remains just that: a man.

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