On this day, in 1972, one of the players and coaches who have made history in the world of football was born in the popular Marseille neighborhood of La Castellane: Zinedine Zidane. The current technician of Real Madrid 48 years ago this Tuesday, enjoying the gift of the leadership of LaLiga after a controversial victory against Real thanks to the recurring help of the Var. The white team has replaced the Barca from the top of the table, a privileged position that he will try to defend tomorrow, in the match that will face him hounded Majorca at the Alfredo Di Stéfano (22.00).
Zidane debuted at 17 in Ligue 1 defending the Cannes shirt for four seasons. However, it was not until he landed in the ranks of the Bordeaux Girondins that the Gaul became known to the rest of the world.
This knowledge reached Turin. The Juventus, who was a recent European champion, took Zidane's services with Marcello Lippi as the 'bianconero' coach. In his first season with the Piedmontese team, Zizou was proclaimed champion of the European Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and Series A, in addition to reaching the final of the Champions League.
Zidane defended the Vecchia Signora shirt for five seasons, until the 2000/01 season. In Serie A, Marseille played 151 games and scored 24 goals. its class and ability made him be one of the best players in the world.
At the individual level, ZZ won the Ballon d'Or in 1998 and a total of six more titles at the collective level (two Scudettos, one Italian Super Cup, one European Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one Intertoto Cup) with Juventus.
Zidane was a 'top' player, to which few clubs could aspire. And Real Madrid was one of them. With the arrival of Florentino Pérez to the presidency of the white team, the signing of the French player was a wish that came true in the 2001/02 season.
Artwork in the 2002 Champions League final
With Real Madrid, Zizou played a total of 227 games in six seasons, scored 49 goals and distributed 68 assists. With the white shirt he won another six titles, the most important of which was the Champions League 2001/02, where he scored what is listed as the best goal in the history of the competition to certify victory in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
According to OPTA data, Zidane's favorite victim in LaLiga when he was a member of Real Madrid It was Sevilla, a rival who scored twice as many goals (8) as the second team on the list, the Spanish (4). In fact, his only hat-trick as a merengue player was against the Seville team, on January 15, 2006 at the Santiago Bernabéu (4-2).
Zidane went on to score a total of 37 goals in LaLiga, being the fifth French player to score the most goals in the history of the competition.
With the French team also touched glory
With the French national team also touched glory. Defending the French team, he played a total of 108 games in which he scored 31 goals and distributed 29 assists to lift the 1998 World Cup and the Eurocopa of the year 2000.
Zidane began his career on the bench as second coach, under the command of Carlo Ancelotti in 2013/14, the season in which Real Madrid established itself as champion of the Champions League to add the 10th title in the competition for the white team.
The Marseillaise became first coach in the lower categories of Real Madrid, directing the Real Madrid Castilla in Second Division B during the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons.
It was in January 2016 when, after the removal of Rafa Benítez as head coach of Real Madrid, Zidane was chosen to captain the Madridista ship. Facing Rome, Wolfsburg and Manchester City, he reached the Champions League final to face Atlético de Madrid. The meringues won on penalties.
Makes history with his three Champions in a row
That ‘Orejona’ was the first of three that Zidane won as a white coach in a row. In this way, the Frenchman became the coach who has won the most continental title the most times together with Bob Paisley with Liverpool and Carlo Ancelotti with Milan and Real Madrid, but the only one to do so in three consecutive years.
Furthermore, Zidane enjoys having passed the 12 heats who has played with Real Madrid on the bench. Also note that won 10 titles as coach of Real Madrid, being the second with the most trophies raised in the history of the merengue group only behind Miguel Muñoz (14).