Zinedine Zidane

Zidane and Islam Zidane's parents were Muslims but he himself has married a Christian dancer and has named his children after Christian football players. He is not considered a practicing Muslim. Fast Facts Born: 23 June 1972 Birthplace: Marseille, France Best Known As: The MVP of World Cup 1998, Golden Ball Winner World Cup 2006 Nicknamed "Zizou" Born in Marseilles, France, of Algerian parents Scored his first goal professionally in 1991; the president of the Cannes football club gifted him with a car. In his first international game (playing for France against the Czech Republic) in 1994, he scored two goals in 17 minutes Won Golden Ball -- European MVP award for leading France to victory in 1998 World Cup FIFA Player of the Year in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 Became football's most expensive player in 2001, when Real Madrid acquired him for �46 million (roughly $66 million) Christian Dior's first male model After being sidelined several times with injuries, he announced he would retire after 2006 World Cup games in Germany Captained the French team in World Cup 2006 games; they lost to Italy Headbutted opponent Marco Materazzi after a brief altercation in the 100th minute of the World Cup Final game. Zidane was red-carded, banished from the field. Still won 2006 FIFA Golden Ball Is featured as a LEGO minifigure, included in some of the soccer playsets Biography A flashy midfielder, Zinedine Zidane won the Golden Ball as the most valuable player in the World Cups of 1998 and 2006. Zidane played his first professional First Division game for Cannes in 1991 and quickly rose through the professional ranks. He sealed his reputation by scoring two goals in the World Cup finals of 1998, helping France defeat Brazil to claim its first-ever World Cup championship. Zidane played for professional powerhouse Juventus from 1996 until 2001, when he was acquired by Real Madrid for 46 million pounds, a record fee. (By 2003 his teammates on Real Madrid included superstars David Beckham, Luis Figo and Ronaldo, among others.) Zidane was named FIFA player of the year in 1998, 2000, and 2003. He retired from professional soccer after leading France to the finals of the 2006 World Cup. Zidane's nickname is "Zizou"... In his final game, the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, Zidane was red-carded out of the game for a bizarre headbutt to the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi. Italy won the game and the World Cup on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. However, Zidane was still named the tournament's most outstanding player. He claimed he hit Materazzi in retaliation for insults made about Zidane's mother and sister; in September 2006 Materazzi said he had grabbed Zidane's shirt during play, causing Zidane to remark that he would give him the shirt if he liked it so much, in turn prompting Materazzi to respond, "I'd rather have your sister." Materazzi further claimed he didn't know Zidane had a sister until after the incident. Discuss This Article References: Fast Facts information about Zinedine Zidane © 1999-2006 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Personalities biography of Zinedine Zidane Copyright © 1998-2006 by Who2, LLC. All rights reserved.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 October 2006 )