Zinedine Yazid Zidane, popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a former French football player of Kabyle Algerian descent who starred for both the French national team and for four club teams, most recently Real Madrid. Zidane is often considered to be the best footballer of his generation and one of the greatest of all time. A midfielder, his elegant dribbling, balance, passing ability, shot accuracy, shot selection, and well-placed free kicks have made him one of the game's finest players and the natural successor of Michel Platini as France's top playmaker. His precise control over the flow of the game and his ability to hold and protect the ball remain highly regarded.
Zidane received international attention with his two headed goals in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil that essentially won his country's first ever title.
He has been elected FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1998, 2000, 2003), a record that has only been matched by Ronaldo, and once as European Footballer of the Year (1998). In 2004, Zidane was added to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pel? as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations.
As announced on 25 April 2006, Zidane retired from international football after the 2006 World Cup Final on 09 July 2006.
