52 Fun Facts About Zinedine Zidane

By what nickname is Zinedine Zidane popularly known?

Zizou was coined by his coach at Bordeaux in the early 1990s, and the nickname stuck.

In which French city was Zidane born?

Marseille was his home city, but Olympique de Marseille reportedly judged him too slow in 1992, so he signed for Bordeaux instead.

Zidane's parents emigrated to France from which country?

Algeria's president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, decorated him with the Athir medal of merit during his visit to the country in December 2006.

At which club did Zidane make his professional debut in 1989?

Cannes finished fourth in his first full season there, earning the club a place in the UEFA Cup for the first time in its history.

Which English club reportedly turned Zidane down in 1996 for a modest fee, saying he was not good enough?

Newcastle United watched him and decided he wasn't even good enough for England's second tier, agent Barry Silkman recalled; two years later he was a world champion.

Which forward did Zidane play just behind as the playmaker in Turin?

Alessandro Del Piero scored the late winner against River Plate in the 1996 Intercontinental Cup final, finishing after Zidane headed the ball on to him.

Who beat Zidane's Turin side 3-1 in the 1997 Champions League final?

Borussia Dortmund had Paul Lambert shadow Zidane to the point of frustration, while Karl-Heinz Riedle scored twice before Lars Ricken added a third.

Roughly how much did Real Madrid pay Juventus for Zidane in 2001?

About €75 million made him the most expensive player in history, and in his first season Real won a ninth European Cup.

Zidane's famous 2002 Champions League final winner was a volley against which club?

Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-1 at Hampden Park and ended that season as runners-up in the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.

Whose looping cross did Zidane volley in for his 2002 Champions League final winner?

Roberto Carlos hooked the ball in from the left, and the naturally right-footed Zidane met it on the volley with his weaker left foot.

Which legend picked Zidane for the 2004 FIFA 100 list of greatest living players?

Pelé was asked to name the greatest living players for FIFA's centenary, but found it too hard to stop at 100 and picked 125.

Zidane was man of the match as France knocked out which team 1-0 in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals?

Brazil, the holders, went out in a rematch of the 1998 final when his free kick set up Thierry Henry's volley for the only goal.

Zidane's 1998 World Cup red card, the first for a Frenchman at a finals, came against which team?

Saudi Arabia were beaten 4-0, but his stamp on Fuad Anwar earned a two-match ban, so he missed the games against Denmark and Paraguay.

How did Zidane score the golden goal that beat Portugal in the Euro 2000 semi-final?

A penalty, given for Abel Xavier's handball in extra time, settled the semi-final, and UEFA later banned Xavier, Nuno Gomes and Paulo Bento for confronting the officials.

After Euro 2000, France was the first team to hold both the World Cup and Euros since which side?

West Germany in 1974 fell behind to a second-minute penalty in the World Cup final, then beat Johan Cruyff's Netherlands 2-1.

What kept Zidane out of France's first two matches at the 2002 World Cup?

A thigh injury picked up in a friendly against South Korea sidelined him, and without him France failed to score in either game.

Which team knocked France out of Euro 2004, prompting Zidane's first retirement?

Greece won 1-0 through an Angelos Charisteas header in Lisbon, and the outsiders went on to win the whole tournament.

Which France coach persuaded Zidane to come out of international retirement in 2005?

Raymond Domenech brought him back in August 2005 alongside Claude Makélélé, with France struggling in World Cup qualifying.

How did Zidane score France's goal in the 2006 World Cup final?

His Panenka-style penalty clipped the underside of the crossbar and bounced just over the line to put France ahead early on.

Which Italian defender did Zidane headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final?

Marco Materazzi admitted insulting him, and Zidane said the defender's words about his mother and sister provoked the headbutt.

In which city was the 2006 World Cup final played?

Berlin hosted his last match, in which he was sent off in extra time before Italy won on penalties.

What did Zidane win the day after the 2006 World Cup final, despite his red card?

Pep Guardiola wrote that Zidane exerted so much influence that "France are never disorganised".

How did FIFA punish the retired Zidane for his headbutt?

FIFA also fined him 7,500 Swiss francs, and he agreed to three days of community service with children in place of a three-match ban.

Through the 2026 World Cup, which Cameroonian was the only other player sent off at two tournaments?

Rigobert Song came out of a two-day coma in 2016 and went on to coach Cameroon at the 2022 World Cup.

Zidane scored in his Bernabéu farewell game against which club?

Villarreal drew 3-3 in a stadium where fans wore Zidane shirts and held up banners thanking him.

Zidane scored twice on his France debut in 1994 to rescue a 2-2 draw against which team?

Czech Republic led 2-0 until the debutant scored with his left foot and then his head, the two skills he called his weak points.

Which country's bid to host the 2022 World Cup did Zidane serve as ambassador for?

Qatar won the vote in Zurich in December 2010, and Zidane, its bid ambassador, hailed the result as a victory for the Arab world.

Which of the club's sides did Zidane coach before taking over the senior team at the Bernabéu?

Castilla, the B side, was his charge in 2014 when Spain's national coaching school reported him for managing without the necessary badges.

Whom did Zidane replace as Real Madrid head coach in January 2016?

Rafael Benítez was sacked after seven months, having struggled to win over some of Real's players, and Zidane took over that night.

Five days after winning a third straight Champions League, what did Zidane do?

He resigned on 31 May 2018, saying the team needed a change.

Which club did Zidane's side beat on penalties in the 2016 Champions League final, his first as coach?

Atlético Madrid forced extra time in Milan, but Juanfran hit the post in the shoot-out and Real won it 5-3.

Which Zidane substitute scored twice in the 2018 Champions League final win over Liverpool?

Gareth Bale scored a bicycle kick moments after coming off the bench, then a 40-yard shot that slipped through Loris Karius's hands.

Under which manager did Zidane work as an assistant coach at Real Madrid?

Carlo Ancelotti had Zidane beside him as Real Madrid won the 2014 Champions League, and in January 2016 Zidane was handed the head coach's job himself.

Which national team was Zidane approached to coach after the 2022 World Cup, an offer he declined?

The United States sounded out his agent about succeeding Gregg Berhalter, but he held out for the job he had repeatedly said he wanted: coaching France.

Whom did Zidane succeed as head coach of France in 2026?

Didier Deschamps had announced in January 2025 that he would stop once his contract ran out after the 2026 World Cup, saying he had done his time.

Zidane named his eldest son after which Uruguayan idol?

Zidane later faced his boyhood idol when his Turin side beat Enzo Francescoli's River Plate 1-0 in the 1996 Intercontinental Cup.

Which band scored the documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait?

Mogwai scored the film, which ends when Zidane is sent off after a brawl in the closing minutes of the match.

In the 2008 film Asterix at the Olympic Games, Zidane cameos as an Egyptian with what punning name?

It plays on "numéro dix", number 10, his squad number for France.

Which Argentine's play at the 1986 World Cup left an "indelible mark" on the 14-year-old Zidane?

Zidane said Maradona "was on another level"; his boyhood idols also included Enzo Francescoli and Jean-Pierre Papin.

What did Zidane call his signature 360-degree spinning dribble?

Zidane called his favourite trick La Roulette; never the quickest, he beat defenders with close control rather than pace.

Zidane and which striker conceived the UN's Match Against Poverty?

Ronaldo Nazário launched the match with Zidane in 2003, and it went on to raise roughly $4m for UN anti-poverty projects.

Zidane's Bordeaux overturned a 2-0 first-leg defeat by beating which club 3-0 in the 1996 UEFA Cup quarter-finals?

AC Milan went out as Zidane set up both of Christophe Dugarry's goals in the return leg, including the 3-0 winner.

Which club beat Zidane's Bordeaux in the 1995-96 UEFA Cup final?

Bayern Munich won the first leg 2-0 in Munich while Zidane was suspended, then won again 3-1 in the return.

Zidane's parents came from Aguemoune, a village in which Berber-speaking region?

Kabylia was home to his father, Smaïl, who left his village there in 1953 to find work in France.

Zidane's two headers in the 1998 World Cup final came from corners taken by Emmanuel Petit and whom?

Youri Djorkaeff took the corner for the second header, and even after Marcel Desailly was sent off, ten-man France scored a third.

Which Croatian finished second to Zidane in the 1998 Ballon d'Or?

Davor Šuker's six goals carried Croatia to third place at their first World Cup, including the winner against the Netherlands.

Zidane scored the only hat-trick of his career in January 2006 against which club?

It came in a 4-2 win during his final, trophyless season at Real Madrid.

Which Liverpool and Celtic legend managed Zidane's Rest of the World side at Soccer Aid 2010?

Kenny Dalglish's side drew 2–2, and actor Woody Harrelson then scored the winning penalty in a 7–6 shootout.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, Zidane passed the flame to which tennis star?

Rafael Nadal then carried it up the Seine by boat alongside Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comăneci.

Zidane spent two days in November 2006 as the guest of which Nobel Peace Prize winner?

Muhammad Yunus brought him to Bangladesh, where he met villagers whose Grameen Bank loans had transformed their lives.

Whose last-kick goal took Zidane's Real Madrid to a Spanish-record 40 unbeaten matches?

Karim Benzema's stoppage-time goal completed a 3–3 Copa del Rey comeback from two goals down in January 2017.

Zidane's stoppage-time free kick and penalty at Euro 2004 beat which team 2-1?

England led until Zidane's stoppage-time double, after Fabien Barthez had saved David Beckham's penalty.