Zidane, Zinedine (1972-…), is a former French soccer star. A midfielder, Zidane was named World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000, and 2003. Zidane scored two goals to help France defeat Brazil in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final match. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Zidane’s leadership and his brilliant passing and dribbling skills dominated his opponents throughout his career.
Zidane was born on June 23, 1972, in Marseille , France, of Algerian parents. He began his professional career with Cannes before joining Bordeaux in 1992. In 1994, Zidane began to also play for the French national team. He joined the powerful Italian team Juventus in 1996. He led the team to two Italian League championships. From 2001 to 2006, Zidane played for Real Madrid in Spain . He helped the team win the 2002 European Champions League title by scoring the winning goal.
Zidane retired as a player after the 2006 World Cup tournament in which France lost to Italy in the final match. In 2016, Zidane became manager of Real Madrid. He led the team to three straight Champions League titles before stepping down in 2018. Zidane returned to manage Real Madrid from 2019 to 2021.
