Zinedine Zidane Biography

Soccer player. Born Ziné dine Yazid Zidane on June 23, 1972 in Marseille, France. 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.

In 2000 France added the European Championship to their achievements. His further honours include European Footballer of the Year (1998) and FIFA World Footballer of the Year (1998, 2000, 2003). 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.

In 2004, 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 2006, he was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He retired after the finals that year.

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