Zinedine Yazid Zidane · France
Photo : CC BY 4.0 — Hadi Abyar
Zidane scored two headers in the 1998 World Cup final and a left-foot volley in the 2002 Champions League final that is the most technically difficult goal ever scored in a final of that competition. He was a controlling midfielder who scored rarely and decisively, and both of his defining goals came in matches that decided a trophy.
He won the Ballon d’Or in 1998, a World Cup, a European Championship, two Serie A titles with Juventus and a Champions League with Real Madrid. He was also sent off fourteen times, including in his final professional match — the headbutt on Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, after which France lost on penalties.
As a coach he then won the Champions League three years running with Real Madrid, which nobody had done since the competition changed format. The scale of that second career keeps complicating attempts to rank the first.
Club career
| Years | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1992 | Cannes | 61 | 6 |
| 1992–1996 | Bordeaux | 139 | 28 |
| 1996–2001 | Juventus | 151 | 24 |
| 2001–2006 | Real Madrid | 155 | 37 |
| Total | 506 | 95 |
International career
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1989 | France U17 | 4 | 1 |
| 1989–1990 | France U18 | 6 | |
| 1990–1994 | France U21 | 20 | 3 |
| 1994–2006 | France | 108 | 31 |
Honours
Dashed = runner-up.
Related legends
Career figures compiled from public records. Competitive senior appearances only.