Zinedine Zidane: A World Cup icon

There are some players who just ooze class. Throughout his glittering career, Zinedine Zidane wowed football fans around the world with his unique way of playing the beautiful game. With every pass, pirouette and piece of skill, the mystique of Zidane grew, and few footballers have ever played the game with the same perfect marriage of power and beauty.

Some of Zidane’s most iconic moments came at the FIFA World Cup, and with the 2022 edition of the competition getting underway in Qatar, and fans analysing the World Cup betting, it’s a good time to look back at some tournament icons and their achievements on the biggest stage in international football. And there are few more iconic than Zidane.

Taking the 1998 World Cup by storm

With the World Cup arriving on French shores for the first time in 1998, the nation needed a hero to rally around, and Zidane stepped to the fore.

The midfielder had an up-and-down tournament in many ways. After assisting Christophe Dugarry’s goal in France’s 1-0 opening win over South Africa, he was sent off against Saudi Arabia for a stamp. It wouldn’t be the last time he would see red at a World Cup.

Zidane returned to the side after suspension to help inspire his teammates to reach the World Cup final, where they faced defending champions Brazil. This was where ‘Zizou’ truly shone, scoring twice in a sensational 3-0 win for France, helping to deliver the nation’s first World Cup title.

Silky skills in Germany

After France’s underperformance and group-stage exit at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, there was a lot of pressure on Zidane and co. at the 2006 tournament in Germany. Nerves were evident early on, as France laboured to successive draws against Switzerland and South Korea respectively. A 2-0 win over Togo ensured the French went through, but only as group runners-up.

That meant they faced an in-form Spain side in the last 16, but thanks to a dominant performance from Zidane and Patrick Vieira in the centre of midfield, France overturned the odds to win 3-1 and advance to the quarter-finals.

It was the last-eight match-up with Brazil where Zidane really produced his best, providing a glitzy midfield performance that is still talked about to this day. His free-kick delivery set up Thierry Henry’s winner, which saw France progress to the semi-finals where Zidane’s penalty against Portugal sealed their progression to the showpiece match.

A moment of madness

Zidane’s career was a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and you always felt that there was one last twist in the tale ahead of the 2006 World Cup Final. With France taking on Italy in Berlin, the match was seen as a toss of the coin, with the performances of players like Zidane key to deciding it.

Indeed, Zizou was the man who broke the deadlock, with his chipped penalty giving France the lead after just seven minutes. But when Marco Materazzi drew Italy level with a powerful header, it was anyone’s game once again.

As the game inched into extra time, Zidane did the unthinkable. Provoked by an insult from the aforementioned Materazzi, he planted a firm headbutt into the chest of the Italian. The referee produced a red card, and Zidane was forced to slink down the tunnel past the trophy he had dreamt of lifting as captain.

That would be the Frenchman’s last act in his career, a career defined by big moments, big performances and big mistakes at World Cups.