[Hunnytokki]

Hi guys, let's talk about Zidane (ZIZOU). He's retiring after the World Cup. Hopefully, les bleus will do well~

[sortagrownup]

Love Zidane! He's my absolute favorite player. I hope he gets his A-game back for the France vs. Spain match and here's to hoping that that translates into a win. I don't want to see him go yet. I've missed most of his old matches when he was in his prime and the uncontested best player in the world (didn't care much about football then).

Two pictures:

See Theo on the left corner. Soo cute <3 Born during the group stages of the 2002 World Cup.


With Veronique, Enzo, and Luca


According to CBS Sportsline, Zidane is likely to resume his duties as captain. So he'll probably play. But if France is to have a chance at winning, they have to use the 4-4-2 strategy that they used against Togo, with Henry and Trezeguet attacking and Ribery in the line-up. They should put Zidane and Vieiri behind Henry and Trezeguet and Ribery in the periphery because Ribery can run more than Zidane. When Zizou gets tired, Domenech needs to rest him out.

Thanks for starting this thread, Hunnytokki

[ginachan]

I like him too!! he's awesome...

but don't we have a thread for him already?

[keauxz]

At least write a dedicated thing about him if your going to make a tribute thread lol silly. I would write a long essay about him like I did in the David Beckham thread but i'm too tired to do that. Zidane has a leg like a canon, the guy can strike a ball so fast it'll go through a goalkeepers hand. Like Ronaldihno, he can dribble the ball like no other...he may not be as fast as Ronaldihno but he'll make it work and make plays effectivly. It was funny when he had hair, and a little bold spot on the top. Zidane is a great with the Roulette, a Roulette is when he spins the ball around the defense with his legs. Anyways, I hope he plays great during the games during the World Cup. He also plays for Real Madrid.

[MqN]

ah! One of my all time favorites.

^^ I like what you wrote. Indeed he is all that.

[Hunnytokki]

If I were to write an essay, it'd be 10000000 pages long. That's why I left it empty to see what other people would say. ^^

He grew up poor in the back streets of Marseille, 2nd generation kid of Algerian immigrants. He started playing professional soccer since he was 16. He endured a lot of prejudice, but that's part of what made him HIM. I read once that he punched an opponent who made fun of his background, and the manager made him clean for a while during his AS Cannes years. He married his Spanish-French Ballerina wife when he was only 22, and they have 4 sons now. He also played for juventus, and retired after playing for R.M for 5 years. He was FIFA player of the year 3 times, and I think also the European player of the year.
yeah, the famous marseille roulette. I can't explain that in words. You gotta see for yourself. THey call him the French wizard, artist, ZIZOU and so on. He glides on the field so elegantly, but his shoots, like you said, are like canon. If you go to youtube.com, there're a lotta compilation videos. I was in awe. it's a shame that he's retiring after this season.
he led his team to victory in EURO 2000, and was part of the champion team in the 1998 france world cup. He scored 2 goals against Brazil (3-0 win for France) during the final match of the tournament.

[dkstariob]

Very good penalty kick taker as well and the 2nd best player to play for France.

[Hunnytokki]

the first i assume is michel platini?
Yeah, his ability to focus during such an intense moment is respectable. Some critiques say he's overrated, but I think not. Although his plays these days don't live up to his fame.

[dkstariob]

I think the only thing overrated in his career was his performance at the 98 World Cup. Yes, he did score 2 goals in the final game, but none before that.

[Hunnytokki]

He was suspended for one of the games during the 98 world cup. He didnt score any before that, but still, he gave solid performance. the zizou hype was crazy in france. "zizou for president" was all over french media.

[sortagrownup]

Yeah, he was suspended for the Round of 16 match with Paraguay. I guess the reason why his two goals during the 1998 World Cup are so remembered is because ... it was in the final game and sealed France's fate? Heh, I don't know why ;P

I don't think he's overrated in general. It seems that way because he's at the twilight of his career and comparing how he plays right now to the way he played 2-3 years ago, there's a noticeable difference. He's merely fading "from genius to simple excellence". It happens to the best of them; can't be young and fit forever. He knows it too, hence his retirement.

What bugs me a bit is after Zizou was persuaded to come back to help France qualify for the World Cup (since they were struggling badly). Now, some are saying that he should never play at all after the team's success against Togo without him. As though they never needed any of his help. Come on, it was Togo! Besides, teams tend to play at a higher level around the brink of elimination. Plus, I really think it also has a lot to do with Domenech's strategy. The team needs TWO strikers.

I'm really hoping Zizou returns somewhere close to his old form for the Spain match. And that Thierry Henry explodes on the offensive. And for everyone to pretty much bring their A-game. I really want France to win but against Spain, it's gonna be really tough if they don't get their act together.

[Hunnytokki]

I know exactly what you mean. Maybe it was better that he stayed in retirement for himself, but he was doing what he thought was the best for his country, along with Thuram and makelele. I'm really glad France advanced so he has another chance to go back to his old plays~ I don't expect a victory, but a well played game..and then Good Bye, ZIZOU~

[ginachan]

reading all your comments about him..makes me like himmore and more...I am truly sad that he'll be retiring..but i'm so proud of him .. ::sigh:: Goodbye Zizou!

I hope to see one of his kid grow up to be just like him

it makes me mad that there are actually ppl who thinks he shouldn't play at all after the win against togo..those ppl are freekin dumb

[sortagrownup]

I was thinking that too. Then again, had he not chosen to play for France in this tournament then we wouldn't get all this Zizou press coverage! Living in the US sucks if you like European football.

Here's a very nice article/blog that I read some time ago: A Fond Farewell from a Member of Team Zizou.

[ginachan]

thanks for sharing that article!!

and yess living in the US and liking soccer ...sucks..I wish I could go to the games in europe! ::sigh::

[Hunnytokki]

thankfully, it's catching on here too. I don't recall WB11 10 o'clock news ever covering American club soccer, but I saw it today just a couple hours ago. Thank goodness~

oh, sometimes, European club teams do play away games in the U.S. Very rarely, but they do~ look out for them and seize the chance if you can~

[ginachan]

I heard that they (real madrid) might be coming to chicago to play a friendly game or something..not sure though

[Hunnytokki]

Chicago? grrr....too far from me. You might be able to catch Raul, Becks, Casillas et c if you're lucky~

[ginachan]

I want to see zizou..too bad he won;t be there ..sigh..

[Childlike Faith]

I love Zidane. I've always liked the French National Team as a whole, but I didn't really look at each player seperately. I knew names and stuff, but I never really payed attention. I was too young the two previous World Cups to pay much attention, but this year, I'm just a little bit obsessive.

But when I heard the commenters talk about Zidane this year, I felt I had to watch this guy closer. They described him as the best football player of the decade. I'd heard of him when I watched Real Madrid. (For Beckham, at the time. ) But at the Round of 16 stage, he's become my favorite player.

I love how much he effects his team, how he came out of international retirement to play for France. This guy came out of retirement for his country, influenced other French men to do the same, and brought his national team to qualify for '06! And he's about the best penalty kicker ever. He's gone so far in his career, my only regret is that I didn't pay attention sooner. But I really hope that this year will be good for him and France.

Ah, I could go on and on about him! I love reading articles about Zidane and his legacy.. Haha.