Biography Of Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane

Ziné dine Yazid Zidane was born on June 23, 1972 in Marseille, France.He is the son of Algerian immigrants, Zidane learned to play football in the streets of Marseilles, was discovered at age 14 by a talent scout, and signed as a schoolboy for Cannes FC. After a spell at Girondins de Bordeaux, he transferred to Italian club Juventus where he notched up a string of successes. He was a key player for his country in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, scoring two goals in France's 3-0 victory over Brazil, and was hailed as a national hero.

France added the European Championship in 2000 to their achievements.European Footballer of the Year (1998) and FIFA World Footballer of the Year (1998, 2000, 2003) that was his further honours include . In 2001 he signed for Spanish club Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee of £ 47·2 million, and his annual income is estimated at around £5 million.

Zidane was named best European football player of the past 50 years by the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll and was included in the FIFA 100, Pelé 's list of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004 . In 2006, he was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He retired after the finals that year.

Childhood

Zidane is of Kabyle Berber descent. His parents, Smaïl and Malika, emigrated to Paris from the village of Aguemone in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylia in eastern Algeria, in 1953 before the start of the Algerian War. The family, which had settled in the city's tough northern districts of Barbès and Saint-Denis

, found little work in the region. So in the mid-1960s, they moved to the northernMarseille suburb of La Castellane where, on 23 June 1972, Zidane was

born as the youngest of five siblings. Zidane's father Smaïl worked as a warehouseman at a department store, often on the night shift, while his mother was a housewife.The family lived in so small a tower-block apartment in the housing complex that he, his parents, three brothers and one sister had to sit down to eat in shifts. Yet, due to his father's steady job, the family lived a reasonably comfortable life by the standards of the neighbourhood, which was notorious throughout Marseille for its high crime and unemployment rates.

It was at La Castellane that Zidane had his earliest introduction to football, joining in at the age of five, in football games that the neighbourhood's children played on the Place Tartane, an 80-by-12-yard plaza that served as the main square of the housing complex.Thus, even after he joined school, while he did practiseJudo attaining a green belt and indulge in skateboarding and bicycling, football remained his greatest passion.

Most expensive football player In 2001, Zizou became the most expensive player in football history when Real Madrid acquired him for 46 million pounds (roughly $66 million US Dollars). Even if he does have to adapt to the Spanish way of life, he certainly won't have to adapt to being the star player, nor the award winner. Zinedine and Veronique have two sons, Enzo (named after Enzo Francescoli) and Luca. In addition to promoting a slew of sports products, Zidane is also Christian Dior's first male model.

Individual Honours

• UEFA Club Football Awards, Best Midfielder: 1997/1998
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2002
• World Soccer Player of the Year: 1998
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2003
• FIFA Silver World Player of the Year: 2006
• FIFA Bronze World Player of the Year: 1997, 2002
• European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or): 1998
• UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2001/2002
• UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (Best European player of the past 50 years): 2004
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Award: 2006
• FIFPro World XI Team: 2005, 2006
• Onze d'Or: 1998, 2000, 2001
• UEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament:2000
• FIFA All-Star Team: 1998, 2006
• UEFA BEST XI: 2001, 2002, 2003
• Chevalier de Légion d'Honneur: since 1998

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1988–1992	AS Cannes	61(6)
1992–1996	Girondins Bordeaux	135 (28)
1996–2001	Juventus	151 (24)
2001–2006	Real Madrid	155 (37)
1994–2006	France	108 (31)

Youth career 1982–1983 US Saint-Henri 1983–1986 SO Septèmes-les-Vallons 1986–1988 Cannes Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1988–1992 Cannes 61 (6) 1992–1996 Bordeaux 139 (28) 1996–2001 Juventus 151 (24) 2001–2006 Real Madrid 155 (37) Total 506 (95) National team 1991–1994 France U-21[2] 18 (3) 1994–2006 France 108 (31) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.