Zinedine Zidane biography

Speaking of modern football talisman, the name of Zinedine Yazid Zidane known simply as Zinedine Zidane or Zizou ranks first on the list. He is a former French international soccer player who currently manages the Real Madrid soccer club. Best known for his playmaking skills, crazy techniques and visionary passes on the pitch, Zidane won the Player of the Year award three times in his glittering, trophy-laden career. A feat equaled by very few players. In his club career, Zidane played for Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid. The highlight of his club career came when he scored the volley that gave Bayer Leverkusen victory in the 2002 Champions League final. In addition to his success as a professional club, he also won the most precious trophy in football history 1998 FIFA World Cup for his country France and also reached the 2006 World Cup final. In the midst of his amazing career, It was not without controversy on the football field and has some memorable issues on the pitch.

Early life and career of Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane nicknamed ‘Maestro’ by Real Madrid fans was born on June 23, 1972, in La Castellana, Marsellis France. His parents He Smail and Malika immigrated to France from Algeria. Zidane has five other siblings and his father had a hard time supporting the family, often changing jobs and homes. Zidane grew up in Marsellis, which was famous for its notorious gangsters and high unemployment rate.

At the age of ten Zidane joined the youth club of a local club in La Castellana called Estados Unidos-Saint Henri . After a year and a half, he joined Septemes Les-Vallons and stayed there until he was 14 years old. While attending three soccer camps at the Regional Center for Sports and Physical Education, he was seen by AS Cannes scouting a former player Jean Varraud .

Zinedine Zidane’s professional career

Zidane started his professional career from COMO Cannes . He joined the club for six weeks, but eventually stayed there for four years. In his first season at COMO Cannes , he helped the club secure fourth place in the French Divison 1 league, which qualified the club for its first UEFA Cup. Zidane played for the Girondins Bordeaux club in the 1992/93 season. During his spell at Bodeaux , he was a transfer prospect for English clubs Newcastle and Black Burn but the move never materialized. He was awarded Ligue 1 player of the year in 1996.

In his second season in charge, they won La Liga and the Champions League for the second time in a row, defeating Juventus 4 goals to 1. Real Madrid became the first team to retain the Champions League. During his time as Manager in Madrid, he has coached some famous footballer names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric.

Zinedine Zidane’s main individual distinctions

Zidane has won the Player of the Year award three times in the years 1998, 2000 and 2003, which is the most honorable award given to the best player of the year in world football. Zidane also won the Ballon d’Or awarded to the best player in the World Cup in 2006.

The controversy of Zinedine Zidane

Although he was hailed as the greatest player of his generation by many soccer experts, Zidane was also referred to as a hot head and lacked discipline on the pitch. He received a red card for headbutting players in various incidents. But the most famous or infamous case of him came when he headbutted the Italy defender. Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final finally lost to Italy.

The assets and salary of Zinedine Zidane

During his playing spell, Zidane was brought to Real Madrid from Juventus for a fee of $96 million, a world record transfer fee at the time. As of 2018, Zidane’s estimated net worth is $70 million. His salary as a Real Madrid coach is 9.5 million dollars a year. Apart from his huge salary, Zidane also endorsed many brands like Addidas, Lego, Orange, Audi and Volvic. He also has his own personal yacht. On his Instagram account he has almost 17 million followers. Zidane’s car collection includes Range Rover ($53,000), Audi ($1,00,000) and Ferrari ($2,00,000).

Zinedine Zidane’s personal life

At the age of 17, Zidane met his future wife Veronica Fernandez during her spell at AS Cannes in the 1988/89 season. The couple married in 1994 and now have four children named Enzo Alan Zidane Fernandez, Luca Zinedine Zidane, Theo Zidane Fernandez, and Elyaz Zidane Fernandez. All of his sons play for Real Madrid Junior except Enzo Fernández, who plays for Laussane Sport. Zidane is also involved with UNICEF and is an active Donor and Volunteer in various Charity activities.