Zinedine Zidane quietly arrived to do what Michel Platini could not: win the World Cup. Almost unwittingly and even without realizing it, this descendant of Algerians became the most important footballer in the history of French football, because in 1998 he was the great figure of the National Team that was crowned champion at home against Brazil and eight years later he returned to shine in the runner-up in Germany.
Russia 2018 ESPN
«If I had to pay a ticket to see a player in the Cup, I would do it just to see Zidane», said Platini, a strong man of the organization, before the 98 World Cup. It is that Zizou arrived at the championship as the great hope of the host combo. After shining and winning the 1996 Champions League, he arrived at the Euro as a great candidate to try on the crown, but he failed like his entire team and was left in debt. Two years later and in his own home, he more than repaid the debt.
The player born in Marseille reached the most important tournament hit. He did not train the previous days due to two injuries sustained in a friendly against Finland: a blow to the right tibia and a sprained ankle in the same leg. In fact, he doubted his presence at the presentation of the Selected until the last moment, but he finally recovered.
His World Cup debut was very auspicious. The Argentine newspaper Olé described his performance in the victory over South Africa as follows: «The subtle touch, the luxuries, the precise passes from thirty meters, and a dedication and personality to pull the strings of his team made him the figure of the game. No he scored it, even though scoring a goal would have only given him added value that was not needed anyway. The French stop being cold towards their national team when it comes to their hero».
Zizou’s impressive header in the final against Brazil Getty Images
The French team began their journey in the World Cup in a big way and the Ten had a lot to do with it. «It has always been said that France cannot score goals. Today we proved the opposite. I think we can and we are all satisfied with our performance,» said Zidane after the victory in Marseille, where they were more local than ever.
The second presentation represented a real headache for Zizou, despite the 4-0 win that confirmed the good game of les Blues. The Juventus player stepped on Saudi Faid Amin and was sent off 26 minutes into the second half by Mexican referee Arturo Brizio Carter. «I didn’t deserve the red card. It was an automatic sanction, I’m devastated. It was an involuntary gesture that doesn’t justify a sanction like this,» he said after the match.
They were very hard days for Zinedine Zidane, since many criticized his attitude and even asked that he not return to the starting lineup. FIFA suspended him for two games and for this reason he could not play the last game of the first round against Denmark (2-1), nor the duel against Paraguay in the round of 16. In that match, France missed their driver because they were almost never able to get past the Guarani lock and only managed to win with a golden goal.
Zidane became a hero in France 1998 Getty Images
Against Italy in the quarterfinals, Zidane returned to the first team. Although he did not show all his talent, he once again led all the French team’s offensive attempts and scored his penalty kick in the definition. In the semi-finals, France beat Croatia, the tournament’s great revelation with two goals from Lilian Thuram and a solid performance from Zizou. Thus, the Blues arrived for the first time in their history at the defining game of a World Cup.
The final against Brazil was the definitive consecration of Zidane as the king of football. He played the perfect match, not only because he scored two goals, but because he was the soccer and emotional leader of a team that gave a real lesson in good play. Zizou appeared when France needed him most, at the most important moment in their footballing history. In addition to his two goals, he pulled the strings for his National Team, gave assists, played and made others play.
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«We were superior but if Brazil scored a goal, we would have suffered until the end,» he said after lifting the Cup. His celebration was as expected: sober, legitimate but without great demonstrations. Despite the fact that his face was projected on the Arc de Triomphe as a symbol of the popular celebration that broke out in Paris and throughout the nation, the new Gallic idol preferred not to expose all his happiness. He celebrated it in a big way, but in his own way.
«The most important thing is to win. Also, in this World Cup the matches are going to be very tough. There will be no goals», Diez had said before the start of the World Cup. «The important thing is the result,» agreed his coach Aimé Jacquet. In the final, and thanks to Zidane’s talent, France fulfilled the legendary «three G’s»: He won, He liked and He scored.