The 1970s was a time period when football superstars were born, and the most representative figures were naturally 72 leader Zidane and 76 leader Ronaldo . However, considering that Ronaldinho's career was interrupted by injuries several times, it is generally believed that Zizou is the greatest star of the post-70s generation.
In the selection of major institutions, he is a frequent visitor to the best team in football history, and is also regarded as one of the best players in European history. His reputation is no less than that of Cruyff and Beckenbauer. Er, fans in all corners of the world have heard about his legendary experience. However, in the author's opinion, Zidane has been shrouded in halo for too long, which also makes it difficult for the public to fully recognize him. Success is never achieved overnight, and even if the talent is awe-inspiring, it will take years of tempering.
One. The long journey of the former Apennine era
We picked up a list of "historical football rankings". Zidane generally ranks in the top 10, and it is not surprising to squeeze into the top 8 under normal circumstances. The characters at this level are almost all young and famous. Bailey and Maradona belong to the peak of their debut. They have become famous at the age of 16-17, such as Kebe, Melo, Di Stefano and others. Even before the age of 20, they are also emerging.
Zidane during Cannes
However, Zidane is different from the above-mentioned big names. He has been playing in Ligue 1 in his early years, and he is not playing for domestic players such as Marseille , Cannes and Bordeaux. , it is difficult to make waves in mainstream football. This also led to that he was not the darling of public opinion before the age of 24, and he was not even familiar with many people after leaving a certain circle.
However, Zizou had already shown extraordinary talent at that time, and some Premier League teams threw an olive branch to him around 1994-95.According to the memory of then-Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards, Cantona once recommended the young French brother to Ferguson, but the Sir did not start after thinking about it, which is also a great regret in his brilliant career.
1995-96 UEFA Cup Zidane VS Desailly
Fortunately, Bordeaux was not a fish-belly team, they reached the UEFA Cup final in 1996, and the journey (total score) reversed 3-2 Milan's good show has made some fans excited so far. In addition, Zizou entered the semi-finals of the European Cup with the French team that year, some giants finally moved to poach him, and the old woman Juventus finally succeeded.
Two. Zidane is the dual master of the club and the national team. After landing in the Apennine, Zidane's career entered the fast lane. At that time, if he wanted to make a name for himself, he had to come to Serie A to play football. Pilgrims all over the world. Although when Zizou joined, the Bianconeri has been getting better under Lippi's training, winning the Serie A championship and the Champions League championship one after another, but even the teacher of the king, if you can get a strong aid like Zidane, there is no way. Different from a tiger with wings. In the first 2 seasons of
in Turin, Zidane and Juventus created their own era. They completed consecutive games in the domestic arena, and at the same time reached the Champions League final twice in a row. Even if such an achievement cannot surpass the Milan dynasty of the year, there is no qualitative difference in hard currency comparison.
In the 1996-97 Champions League final, Zidane and Dortmund fought with Dortmund players. In a system with an all-round player and a fairly solid defense, Zidane can fully display his talents.Even though the high-position pressure advocated by Lippi is sometimes too extreme, Zizou, who is not slow by nature, can always find his own rhythm. Some people have criticized him for being unstable during the long season, but he will never let the fans at the critical moment. they are disappointed.
The French team reached the semi-finals of the 1996 European Cup.
During his peak at Juventus, under the leadership of Jacquet, the French team gradually got rid of the haze of the 90-94 trough. Even though the stars of the previous generation such as Papin, Cantona, and Ginola are not old, they are already fading like a curse. Since the 1996 European Cup The top four are a small test.
But the real big test facing the Gallic Rooster was the 1998 local World Cup. Although the team's strength on paper was outstanding, it was an era when a hundred schools of thought contended; Brazil, Argentina, Italy, England, the Netherlands, and Germany all had strong competition. The star-studded situation of the post-70s generation ensures the quality of each team. Even in the year of the competition, the French team is by no means the most popular, and can only be regarded as one of the teams expected to win the championship.
At that time, Jacquet's team had a solid foundation in the midfield and backcourt. Lizarazu +Blanco+Desailly+Thuram's defense line existed like a top in history; in front of them were Deschamps, Karen Reinforcements such as Rembu, Petit and even the teenager Vieira can give Zidane the most direct support; the only weak point is the striker, Dejokaf 's side, or Givash and Dugari. Not the outstanding instant combat power, or the immature youths like Henry and Trezeguet.
From the perspective of the game process, the French team went relatively smoothly in the group stage, but Zidane's violent temper almost ruined the team's future. He was suspended for 2 games because of his uncool red card and will miss the 1/8 final with Paraguay .In the situation where the team's striker level is average, it is very difficult to face the "South American Brown Sugar" game. If the midfielder's brain is absent, it really can only be resigned to fate.
The final facts have proved that Paraguay is the most difficult bone for the French team to win the championship. If it were not for the magical lore of Blanco , Zidane is estimated to have become a public enemy like Beckham. It's just that every time he comes to this kind of moment, luck seems to be good, and he can get the opportunity of self-salvation.
The 1998 World Cup final Zidane scored twice.
The fate of the 3 goals need not be repeated, as long as you have watched those games, you will know how outstanding Zidane is. He can stabilize the scene by himself in the face of adversity, and he can also break new ground in times of stalemate. At the age of 26, many players had the best years, and Zidane was conferred a god in this year.
three. In 1998, the Ballon d'Or and future regrets
In terms of Zidane's status, it seems very strange that he only won one Ballon d'Or in his career, especially when he won 3 World Player of the Year . In any respect, there is no suspense in 1998, but the two losses in 2000 and 2003 are worth discussing.
In 1998 Zidane won the only Ballon d'Or
2000 was the best time of Zizu's personal competition, although Juventus did not win in the league and European wars, but leading the French team to win the Delaunay Cup is absolutely immeasurable Merit. With this trophy alone, he should have been awarded the Golden Globe Award that year, but it was surprising that it was given to Figo .
First of all, Figo didn't win any trophies that year, and he didn't even win the league championship. In the summer, he "defected" Real Madrid and caused an earthquake in the football world.Secondly, his performance in the European Cup did not overwhelm Zizou, and Portugal was eliminated by Zidane's golden ball.
Some analysts once pointed out that it was at the end of October 2000 that Zizou's red card in the game changed the outcome. Because he often loses his temper on the field, it makes many modest media judges feel uncomfortable and affects his votes. However, this statement is unproven and can only be used as a reference.
The situation in 2003 was more complicated. Zizou only won the La Liga championship that year, and Nedved , Henry, Maldini, Shevchenko and others all played well. Objectively speaking, he is nothing. Advantage. Although he finally won the World Footballer of the Year, his failure to qualify for the top 3 of the Golden Globes also shows the problem. This defeat is not controversial.
In 2003, Zidane was crowned World Footballer for the third time.
On the whole, Zidane's career has won two golden balls is more reasonable. Of course, in terms of his influence in later generations, this is already a detail that does not need to be mentioned. As in most cases, when we talk about Pele and Maradona, we only need to sum up with the king.
