An iconic player who has marked his time and who is universal in the world of football, Zidane celebrated his 52nd birthday a few weeks ago, in addition to being one of the last torchbearers of the Olympic flame. A look back at his impressive career!

Zinedine Zidane: A look back at his club career

Passionate about football, he was quickly noticed for his technical qualities. Zidane joined the AS Cannes training center at the age of 15. He also started his professional career there at the age of 16. Indeed, he would play his first Ligue 1 match at the age of 16 against FC Nantes of Didier Deschamps and Marcel Desailly. In 1992, Griondins Bordeaux recruited Ziza. Among his teammates we find, in particular, Christophe Duharry and Bixente Lizaraza. The great hope of French football, the attacking midfielder reveals himself in the Bordeaux shirt. In 1996, Zidane managed to reach the final of the UEFA Cup, where Bordeaux lost to Bayern Munich.

Courted by Europe's biggest clubs, this Bordeaux epic opened the door to Juventus in Turin, where he confirmed his status as an exceptional player for five seasons. Zidane twice became the champion of Italy as part of the "Old Signora" in 1997 and 1998. Real Madrid received his transfer in 2001 for 75 million euros. Then the French midfielder becomes the most expensive player in history. With Galacticos, Zidane added the 2002 Champions League and 2003 La Liga to his list of achievements. On 16 May 2006, he played his last La Liga match against FC Sevilla.

Zidane: An impressive result in the French national team

Zinedine Zidane is also writing part of his history in the French team. Aimé Jaquet first selected him in 1994 against the Czech national team, where "Zizou" scored 2 goals. On the evening of July 12, 1998, the French national team won its first World Cup. Indeed, the Blues won the final against Brazil 3-0, including 2 headed goals from Zidane, who became a national hero. Ballon d'Or 1998 (4th Frenchman to win this trophy after Jean-Pierre Papin, Michel Platini and Raymond Coppa), together with France also won Euro 2000. Zidane is recognized as the best player of the competition.

The player announced his international retirement but eventually returned to the Blues for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Blues, led by their captain, will once again reach the final. A mixed final where Zidane starts his last official match with an unstoppable miss against Italian goalkeeper 'Gigi' Buffon, only to receive a red card for a headbutt on Italian player Materazzi. At the age of 34, he announced his retirement. Find out why French footballers are now asking for less football for tax in this article - https://www.agoravox.fr/tribune-libre/article/moins-de-foot-pour-une-taxe-142844.

Zidane: a brilliant coaching career

On June 26, 2013, Zinedine Zidane became Carlo Ancelotti's assistant coach at Real Madrid. In his first season as an assistant, the team won the Copa del Rey and the 2014 Champions League. In June 2014, he became the coach of Real Madrid, Real Madrid's reserve team, which plays in the third division.

In January 2016, Zidane was appointed coach of "Real" instead of Rafael Benitez. This year he won his first Clasico as a manager, winning at the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona, ​​who won the championship that season. Real Madrid finished the 2015-2016 season in 2nd place in the championship with 90 points. On 29 May 2016, he won the Champions League by beating Atletico Madrid in the final at the San Siro. He thus becomes the 7th player to win the trophy as both a player and a coach.

At the start of the following season, Zidane won the 2016 UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Sevilla. According to the results of the 38th day of the Spanish championship, Real Madrid won its 33rd title of the country's champion, the first since 2012. 2 weeks later, Merengue beat Juventus in the Champions League final, thus retaining the trophy.
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What is Zinedine Zidane's salary?

It is very difficult to estimate Zidane's income as a player. The highest-paid player in the world in 2001 and 2002 according to France Football, he was on the podium six times (between 1999 and 2005) in the ranking established by the French magazine. In 2001, he would have received 15.12 million euros.

Other sources, such as media outlet Sportune, claim that between 2001 and 2006, the player received a salary of €6.4 million excluding sponsorship. When he joined Merengue in 2009 as an adviser to president Florentino Perez, he was paid around €1.5m, up from €3m when he became the club's sporting director. In addition to this income related to his profession as a football player, all the income from sponsorships (Adidas, Dior, etc.) are added.