French Footballer and Coach
- Considered one of the best footballers in the world.
- Debut as a player: 6 May 1989 (AS Cannes Football)
- Debut as a coach: August 24, 2014 (Real Madrid Castilla CF)
- Spouse: Veronique Fernandez
- Children: Enzo, Luca, Elyaz, Théo
- Name: Zinedine Yazid Zidane
- Nickname: Zizou
- Height: 1.85 m
Zinedine Zidane was born on June 23, 1972, in Marseille, southern France.
Family
The son of Algerian parents, Smail, a grocer and night watchman, and Malika, a housewife, who emigrated to Paris from the village of Aguemoune in the Berber-speaking region of Kabilia, northern Algeria in 1953.
He was the youngest of five siblings, Djamel, Farid, Nourredine, and Lila. He had a great passion for sport since he was a child. At the age of four, he was already riding a bicycle, and at six, he began practicing judo.
Footballer
He went to the stadium in Marseille, where he saw Enzo Francescoli, who was then playing for Olympique. He named his son Enzo. At the age of fourteen, he left his family and went to Cannes. There, he lived in the home of a club director, Jean Claude Elineau, who took him in and treated him like a son.
AS Cannes Football
He made his debut in the French First Division on 20 May 1989, in a match against Nantes under the guidance of Luis Fernández , then player-coach of Cannes.
Girondins of Bordeaux
He signed for Girondins de Bordeaux , a team that catapulted him to fame with a great performance in the UEFA Cup in 1996.
Juventus FC
He was signed by Serie A side Juventus FC in 1996 and transferred to Real Madrid CF in 2001. The Spanish club paid Juve €76 million, the most expensive transfer in football history to date.
Real Madrid
Physically powerful, he has speed and exceptional technical quality and vision of the game. Despite playing in the center of the field, he usually scores a good number of goals. He started playing for the French national team alongside Pedros, Llacer, Nouma, and Ouedec, and made his debut for the senior team on 17 August 1994, scoring two goals against the Czech Republic. In 1998, his magnificent performance in the World Cup in France helped him win the Golden Ball as the best footballer of the year.
He won the Euro 2000 with France. On 25 April 2006, he confirmed that he would retire from professional football after the World Cup in Germany. After retiring, he dedicated himself to matches and charity events and as an ambassador for UNICEF .
In June 2009, he was appointed by Florentino Pérez as Advisor to the President of Real Madrid. He became assistant manager at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti during the 2013–14 season and also served as manager of Real Madrid's B team, Castilla.
Coach
On Monday, 4 January 2016, Rafa BenÃtez left his position as Real Madrid coach and was replaced by Zinedine Zidane. The club decided at a meeting held at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium that BenÃtez would no longer be the coach of the white team. The poor results obtained in recent weeks were the trigger.
He beat Atlético de Madrid in the final of the 2015-2016 Champions League on 28 May 2016, in a penalty shootout, thus achieving his first title as a coach.
On 21 May 2017, five years after winning their last title, Real Madrid were crowned champions, securing their thirty-third league title and Zinedine Zidane 's first as a coach, finishing off with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema at La Rosaleda, against a Málaga that never speculated (0-2).
On 3 June 2017, Real Madrid won their twelfth Champions League trophy after beating Juventus 4-1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, one from Casemiro and one from Marco Asensio Mario Mandžukic scored Juve's goal.
Led by Zinedine Zidane from the bench, on 26 May 2018, the Whites extended their legend in the Champions League after beating Liverpool in the final, losing 3-1. Thirteenth European title that reaffirms Real Madrid as the hegemonic team of the decade with its third consecutive Champions League and the fourth in the last five years.
Zinedine Zidane resigned five days after winning his third consecutive European Cup, closing the cycle that began on January 4, 2016, when he arrived at Real Madrid, beginning the second best period of the club since the times of Alfredo di Stéfano . However, the wear and tear of the last season exhausted the only coach in history capable of lifting three Champions Leagues at Madrid and the only one in continental football to do so consecutively.
On October 23, 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Best 2017 award, beating Messi and Neymar for the second year in a row . Real Madrid coach Zidane won the award for best coach.
On 11 March 2019, it was announced that Zinedine Zidane was returning as Real Madrid manager. The Frenchman returns to the club where he made history as a player and as a coach. With him in charge, the team enjoyed one of the club's best periods. In the previous two years and five months, Los Blancos won 9 titles: 3 Champions Leagues, 2 Club World Cups, 2 European Super Cups, 1 La Liga, and 1 Spanish Super Cup.
On 16 July 2020, Real Madrid won their tenth consecutive league title (2-1) against Villarreal with two goals from Benzema , winning the league for the 34th time, the second domestic title under Zidane.
On 27 May 2021, Zinedine left the Real Madrid dugout for the second time after a season in which he has not won any titles and in which he was questioned. Real Madrid announced that Zidane has decided to end his current stint as coach at the club, respecting his decision and thanking him for his professionalism, dedication, and passion.
In this second stage, marked by the pandemic, he won two titles: a Spanish Super Cup and a League title.
Marriage and Children
When he was seventeen, he met his future wife, Véronique Fernández (a professional dancer born in Aveyron of Spanish descent), while playing for Cannes in the 1988–89 season. Married in 1994, they had four sons: Enzo Alan Zidane Fernández (born 24 March 1995), Luca (born 13 May 1998), Theo (born 18 May 2002) and Elyaz (born 26 December 2005). They all trained at Real Madrid.
He has described himself as a "non-practicing Muslim."
He enjoys sailing his yacht and underwater fishing.