Zidane by Patrick Fort

Author:Patrick Fort
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

10

THE GALAXY OF SUPERSTARS

The player of the year 2000 no longer had anything to prove. Just a few awards still to be won or empty spaces to be filled in his trophy cabinet. A few lines to be added to his list of achievements, on the basis of which those with a fondness for figures would determine the place granted to him by posterity.

Zinedine, a quiet father, aspired above all to become the anonymous face he may never be again. He knew how to say no, but still agreed to link his name to that of a car manufacturer. On the first day of the first year of the first century of the new millennium, at peak viewing time, just before the eight o’clock news, his face appeared on the screen. He did not utter a word but made the advertiser’s slogan his own: ‘The important thing is not what we say but what we do.’ The sobriety of this message was as noticeable as the brand: Ford. A competitor of Fiat, a company with close links to Juventus!

The club’s management had not opposed the partnership, however. They did not cross Zizou, whose reputation was continuing to grow. In Geneva, he received an important passport with a red cover. Like the Brazilian Ronaldo, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations in an effort to combat worldwide poverty.

Juve could not be ungrateful to Zizou. And nor could he to them. He had won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Super Cup and two league titles in his first two seasons at the Turin club. But nothing in 1999 or 2000. As for the 2000–01 season, hopes of a Champions League victory had already vanished. Added to this the prospect of ongoing clashes with little entertainment value to speak of and systems of play that were too hermetically sealed to fan the flames of passion.

A break for his advertising commitments provided some welcome peace and was conducive to reflection. Zizou was pensive. Unlike the image portrayed in the commercial, he was not feeling serene. He wanted to leave. He did not say so out loud but he was sure the prospect would make him happy.

Well-placed but not dominating in the league, the Turin team had received a moderate welcome from their fans after the Champions League elimination. The target of abuse, Zizou calmed the rumours by declaring that he wanted to give his all to win the league. These comments were somewhat hastily interpreted as a clear desire to stay in Turin. But that was not what he said. He said something else in Monaco, secretly.

Pelé or Maradona? At the annual UEFA gala in the principality, on the eve of the European Super Cup between Real Madrid and Galatasaray, discussions were rife as to who would be voted the player of the century. Zidane voted for his idol, Enzo Francescoli.

The award-winners of the season were also revealed. Player of the season: Redondo, a Real player who had gone to AC Milan. Striker of the season: Raúl, at Real Madrid.

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