Zidane Calls it Quit
There was no fairytale ending to Zinedine Zidane’s storybook career on Sunday. The 34-year-old Frenchman will be remembered as the greatest player of his generation, having tasted success at World Cup, European Championship and Champions League level. However, alongside his three World Player of the Year awards and his La Liga and Serie A titles, Zidane’s career will be forever remembered for a moment of madness on the world’s biggest stage. It was a night when his reputation was tainted forever - when he showed he could not control his temper like he can a football. An ugly departure for someone whose artistry so often lit up the beautiful game.
Sunday, July 9th 2006, was still a reminder of the human frailty of a player who so often looked like he was from another planet. Midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, went with vérité rather than opting for a Hollywood ending to his soccer career. After a run of brilliant play in the knockout stages that brought about fond remembrance of his former glory, “Zizou” was all set to retire after a triumph in Sunday’s World Cup final. And then he turned a seemingly innocuous extra-time encounter with Italian defender Marco Materazzi into a scene from a French gangster flick. Zidane powered a header into the Italian’s chest, earning an immediate red card. The man who had been celebrated as a venerable footballing god all tournament had transformed into Cardinal Richelieu.
Despite Zidane’s red card, he was handed the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. It’s a testament to his both his brilliance against Spain and Brazil, and also to his personality. Despite the various allegations being levelled at this Football maestro, In my own opinion, he is one of the best players to ever grace the beautiful game of Football. What do you think?
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