This season, he was promoted to the senior team after Benzema suffered a back injury and made his debut appearance against Celta Vigo coming on as a substitute for Morata. The investment was worth it as Zidane helped ‘Real Madrid’ gain convincing wins during his four-year contract. Zidane Sr, now 41, scored two goals in France's 1998 World Cup final 3-0 win over Brazil in Paris, but his international career ended in disgrace when he was sent off for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, which France went on to lose on penalties. Zidane’s first stint at the international level came in a friendly match against Czech Republic where he played as a substitute. But it has always been my idea to stay here and hopefully I do for many years. Zidane has proven himself to be a shrewd reader of the game and has made tweaks in his system, according to the opposition and his team’s availability. Luca Zidane is the son of Zinédine Zidane (Manager Real Madrid). "He has given me a lot of confidence in difficult moments, and I've responded to that. "He can still change in the future but it's his current wish to play for the French national team." And he showed that in France's World Cup quarter-final match against Brazil in 2006. The 15-year-old Luca, 11-year-old Théo, and Elyaz, eight, are all in various youth teams at the Bernabéu. Zidane part 2. When Casemiro joins the midfield, the whole team stays compact in their own half. Zidane’s alliance with ‘Septemes’ lasted for two and a half years, after which he was selected for a three-day training camp at the ‘CREPS’ in Aix-en-Provence. There were so many world-class players in that Brazil team. Zidane was an incredible playmaker, his tactical vision made it possible to organize a team and give brilliant passes to his teammates. Overloading one side of a vertical axis, with at least two passing options for the player in possession, Real draw the opposition to one side and switch play to the other flank, with Kroos and Modric more than capable of doing so. Benzema is excellent as a false nine and he drops deep as an extra ball receiver. Atletico Madrid 0-3 Real Madrid: When he faced Atletico last season, Real suffered a 1-0 defeat with Atletico dominating proceedings. Zidane won the ‘Ballon d'Or’ in 1998. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. After Rafa Benitez’s dismissal last season, Zidane was brought in as Real Madrid’s manager. Football's greatest: Zinedine Zidane. Position: Midfielder Games played: 227 Goals scored: 49 French international: 93 caps A genius. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Though this might be a bit early to judge him, the results are on his side. After suffering a 1-0 loss against Atletico, Zidane decided to play Casemiro instead of Isco/James. But Zidane had other ideas. ‘Euro 2004’ was reportedly Zidane’s last tournament as he intended to retire thereafter. He won the World Cup with France in his homeland in 1998 by scoring two headers against Brazil in the final. He scored his first ‘World Cup’ goal at the finals of the 1998 ‘FIFA World Cup’ against Brazil. In his 108 international outings, he scored 31 goals. Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid, Champions League Final: It had to be written in the stars. In the match, he scored two identical goals, both headers, leading France to victory. Vishal... Charles Onwuakpa writes a detailed Tactical Analysis of the UEFA Champions League Final that ended PSG 0-1 Bayern Munich. Also, the ball near winger (Bale or Ronaldo) would drop back and help in build up. He started playing football at the age of four. Zidane has played many games for charitable purposes. The 2006 ‘FIFA World Cup’ final was the last match of his career. Bale shows greater defensive contribution than Ronaldo and sometimes, even a lopsided 4-4-2 is seen when without the ball. Though he did not score a goal, he was involved in setting up one for his teammate. For his excellence, Zidane has been bestowed with many coveted awards and honors, including the ‘FIFA World Player of the Year’ and ‘Ballon D'Or.’ He was awarded the 2006 ‘FIFA World Cup Golden Ball’ on his retirement for his outstanding contribution to the game. When the cross can be delivered, the forwards (Ronaldo and Benzema) position themselves in between the opposing centre backs. The recent CAS ruling that lifted Manchester City’s European ban has generated a whirlwind of controversy and debate about Financial Fair Play (FFP). In the current season Zinedine Zidane scored 13 goals. Before Zidane took over, there were a few structural issues in the Real team. "He can still change in the future but it's his current wish to play for the French national team.". There is also a late run into the box by the ball far midfielder (Kroos) or Modric arrives late for a cut back. USA out of the World Cup: What happened and what next for the Soccer Nation? Real have edged a few narrow games by the virtue of late goals and have not been brilliant in all of them. Mariano can hope for more first team minutes under Zidane as fixtures begin to pile up and secure a place in the line up, even though a tough task. He scored the famous match-winning goal, a volley hit with his weaker foot, in Madrid's 2–1 win over ‘Bayer Leverkusen’ in the 2002 ‘UEFA Champions League’ final. The attacker says Madrid will improve with more games under their belt. When defending, the central defenders sometimes try to gauge the gap between the midfield and defense by moving out of position and leaving the channels open for the opponents to exploit. After playing for the junior team US Saint-Henri, Zidane joined Cannes in 1989 and quickly became the focal point of the team’s offense. Zinedine Zidane was born on June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France. Without him by the side, France lost their first two games. Despite months of uncertainty throughout... As the end of the season beckons across Europe, in some form, it is time for us at Outside of the Boot to recognize... Richard Pike examines the recent progress Sevilla have made, and looks at their chances for next season. This win also made Zidane the first manager since Bernd Schuster to win his first Clasico game in charge. ‘Juventus’ lost the 1997 ‘UEFA Champions League’ final to ‘Borussia Dortmund’ as Zidane’s skills were negated by Paul Lambert. Tactical Analysis: PSG 0-1 Bayern Munich | Germans are crowned champions after controlling large stages of the second half, Deconstructing the Perfect Counter-Attack, Premier League: The Growing Trend Of Counter-Attacking Goals, 2020-21 Serie A: U20 Young Players To Watch, 2020-21 La Liga: U20 Young Players to Watch, 2020-21 Premier League: U20 Young Players to Watch, 2020 Brasileirao’s 10 Young Players To Watch, Scout Report: Dejan Kulusevski | Juventus and Sweden attacking midfielder, Analysis: How to play like Thiago Alcântara, Mr. Huddersfield: Why Andy Booth is a Huddersfield Town Legend. When defending, Real usually play in a 4-5-1 or a 4-1-4-1, with Bale and Ronaldo dropping back into the midfield. He made a comeback after announcing his retirement to lead France in the 2006 ‘FIFA World Cup.’ It was a fairytale finish to a fantastic career as France reached the finals under his meticulous guidance. I'm lucky to here with the best players in the world. Below we see an illustration showing this. The same year, he played in the ‘All Stars Match’ against ‘Manchester United,’ which ‘Real Madrid’ won 3-2. Once the ball reaches the half line though, Bale and Ronaldo drop back into the midfield. Despite being one of the hardest hit countries by the Coronavirus... Charles Onwuakpa writes a detailed scout report about the Sweden and Juventus attacking midfielder, Dejan Kulusevski. During his time as a player, he was the most prominent player for France. Zidane met Véronique Fernández while playing for ‘Cannes’ in the 1988-89 season. The individual honours he amassed were a testament to the genius he was. He had an amazing career graph with a win each at the ‘FIFA World Cup’ (1998) and ‘Euro’ (2000), playing for France. Zidane was honored with the ‘FIFA World Player of the Year’ award thrice in 1998, 2000, and 2003. This win would also make sure that the title race went down to the wire as Real had a late surge of consecutive victories. Everything pointed to a win for Brazil. He got his first player’s license at the age of ten. Once Casemiro started in the line up, Madrid usually looked for swift pass combinations using their attacking players and looked to attack. Luca Zidane is the brother of Elyaz Zidane (Real Madrid Youth). Though Zidane could not win any trophies for ‘Real Madrid’ during his final season for the club, his personal statistics were still good. To initiate play, Kroos and/ or Modric would drop back in to the defensive line. This shows how he doesn’t feel the necessity of playing a big name just for the sake of the buy. Are Real Madrid set for an era of domestic dominance? It was Eric Cantona’s year-long suspension that acted as a boon for Zidane as he successfully took over the playmaker position in 1995. He won the World Cup with France in his homeland in 1998 by scoring two headers against Brazil in the final. Co-founder and Chief Editor at Footballbh.net, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window). The youngster had played for Mallorca and Espanyol on loan the previous two seasons. Zidane left football with a red card at the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup after he had been head butting Marco Materazzi who had been saying insulting words against him. "Since the day he arrived he has always told me that he's counting on me, that he trusts me, from the first moment. Failure to reach the promotion playoffs this year could send Castilla into the fourth tier of Spanish football. He won the World Cup with France in his homeland in 1998 by scoring two headers against Brazil in the final. Learn more about Zidane in this article. A rangy midfielder, he had exceptional upper body strength and footwork skills that were complemented by his superior field vision. The stretching of the opposition back line leaves space in between the defenders and this is used by the forwards to position themselves as mentioned before.