Zinedine Zidane

French football legend and manager, head coach of the France national team since 2026.

Zidane was the first and only manager to win the Champions League three times in a row, achieving this in his first three seasons managing Real Madrid.^[1]

Quick Facts

Full name: Zinedine Yazid Zidane
Born: 23 June 1972
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Height: 1.85 m / 6 ft 1 in
Position: Attacking midfielder
Current club: France (head coach)
Total caps: 506
Total goals: 95

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Zidane was the youngest of five children born to Algerian parents Smaïl and Malika, who immigrated to France from Kabylia in 1953.^[2] At age five, he began playing football on the main square of his housing complex in La Castellane.^[3] After moving to Juventus in 1996, Zidane won the Serie A title and Intercontinental Cup in his first season.^[4] In 2001, he joined Real Madrid for a world-record fee and scored a famous volley in the 2002 Champions League final.^[5][6]

Zidane scored twice in the 1998 World Cup final, helping France win its first World Cup.^[7] In the 2006 World Cup final, Zidane was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi, and Italy won the penalty shootout.^[8] According to Wikipedia, Zidane's father worked as a warehouseman and security guard at a department store, and Zidane has credited his strict upbringing and his father as the "guiding light" in his career.^[9]

What the cited sources add

The same source notes that French coach Aimé Jacquet said Zidane "has an internal vision" and is "100 per cent football".^[10] A Guardian article describes Zidane's path from Marseille's rough streets to Madrid as one marked by racism and political controversy.^[10]

References

Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Zinedine Zidane: Former Real Madrid manager appointed as France head coach", BBC Sport, 28 July 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fort, "Zidane: The Biography", Ebury Press, 2018; "Far-right politician booted out of Zinedine Zidane's football club", The Guardian (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: In the footsteps Of Zidane, The Independent (London); "Zidane: Slišković mi je bio idol, uživao sam gledati ga – Klix.ba", Sarajevo-x.com; "Zinedine Zidane: Kad porastem želim biti Baka Slišković!", Scsport.ba; Clemente A. Lisi (2011). "A History of the World Cup: 1930–2010". p. 349. Scarecrow Press; Clemente A. Lisi (2011). "A History of the World Cup: 1930–2010". p. 349. Scarecrow Press (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: V.K.S. Radhesh. "2002 World Cup Football Super Stars". p. 20. Sura Books; "Toyota Cup 1996", FIFA, 26 November 1996; List of Oscar del Calcio winners on the AIC official website. Retrieved 23 July 2018.; "Web Archive - Europe vs. Rest of the World team list", FIFA (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Zidane al Real", Juventus FC, 9 July 2001; "Zidane stecca la prima", Rai Sport, 28 July 2001; "El fichaje de Zidane por el Real Madrid llega a su final", ABC, 4 July 2001; "Reports and Financial Statements at 30 June 2002", Juventus FC, 28 October 2002 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith}}{{cbignore, "Top 20 sporting moments of the decade: Zinedine Zidane's Champions League final winner", The Daily Telegraph, 20 December 2009; "2001 – present – Real Madrid surpasses the century mark", Real Madrid C.F. - Web Oficial; Smith}}{{cbignore, "Top 20 sporting moments of the decade: Zinedine Zidane's Champions League final winner", The Daily Telegraph, 20 December 2009; "Ten of the best Champions League goals", The Guardian, 16 April 2009; "Who's made our Champions League top five", BT Vision; "Zinedine Zidane's en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "French heir who became king" . FIFA.com. Retrieved 17 November 2013. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Italy – France", FIFA.com; "And Materazzi's exact words to Zidane were..., Football, guardian.co.uk", The Guardian, 18 August 2007; Smale, "Kylian Mbappé nets World Cup final hat trick to prove his class, but there has to be a winner and a loser", Abc.net, 18 December 2022; "Materazzi admits to insulting Zidane", ESPN Soccernet; Buckingham, "1998 World Cup – France", Sky Sports; "Zidane sent off in extra time for head butt", ESPNsoccernet, 9 July 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Zinedine Zidane" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hussey, "ZZ top", The Guardian, 4 April 2004; "Why France still loves Zidane", The Independent, 11 July 2006; "Soccer: Zidane, the political footballer", The New Zealand Herald, 8 July 2000; Pomroy, "Zinedine Zidane: What I've Learned", Esquire, 8 August 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Hussey, "ZZ top", The Guardian, 4 April 2004. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Zinedine Zidane (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.