What I meant is that there is no way Materazzi said only that, because it would not be enough to make Zidane lose it.
Alright morons, back off. How much free time do you have on your hands??? One comment and you guys jump on the guy. Get a life FFS!!
The GOAT. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QKHM3KPjtk&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Zidane The Greatest Player Ever Destroying A Goalkeeper[/ame]
My favorite player of all time. I still think he had one season left in him, and would have slotted in perfectly into Capello's 4-2-3-1 system had he continued after the world cup.
He had more then one season in him but even thought (obviously) I am a huge fan,he did well to retire while still great. He is missed and respected,other stayed too long in my opinion and diminished their playing legacy.....
I remember his slight decline in the last year, he chose a good time to leave imo. IIRC he had the option of a further year but felt it was the right time to go. Plus I think we had Robinho starting to make the AM slot his own, although this is all from rose-tinted memory.
The Decline yes,and this is why i am happy he left but he could have still been a very good AM if he stayed. Robhino?its with capello that I remember him performing well,at at the end of that year at LM.
It was perhaps his injuries that finally made him stop, but watching his performances in Germany 2006 one would not think he was on the decline; Especially his performances against Brazil, Spain and Italy. He was bossing around a midfield consisting of Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Fabregas. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qquZkf1M4wg"]YouTube - Zidane ? All in the touch - Spain[/ame]
And off course who could forget the match versus Brazil: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIf07gQAbGM&feature=related"]YouTube - Zidane ? All in the touch - Brazil (2006)[/ame]
He always was a big-gsme player, but my recollecttion is that he had quite a few distinctly average games for us in his last year. Regardless of that, it didn't tarnish his legacy in the slightest - in fact it just showed that he knew when it was time. You don't regret what could have been, like George Best etc, but at the same time you don't have him lingering on too long either. We always talk about his touch, balance and vision, and rightly so, but one thing that sometimes get overlooked was his sheer strength on the ball. It's something that allowed him to protect the ball even when pressed vigorously or man-marked by the opposition, and allowed him the time to showcase his technique. It's something that our current playmaker Ozil doesn't have - hopefully he can manage without it.
^Yup, his last season with us wasnt that great (by his standards). Could have been his hamstring, but he turned the magic on in the WC.
I thot he went the extra mile at the WC, and his performance was well above what it was in the regular season.
Its wierd how while not being at his personal best, he still managed to out score+assist every other player on our team in his last season. I think the main reasons for these were Figo's exit and Guti's emergence in that last season.
We had Cristiano Ronaldo back then? LOL! On a more serious note, Zidane = one of the all time greats. His first touch and ability to hold on the the ball was so crucial to our possession based "Galacticos".
Zidane was on Real Madrid when I started following them. Wish I would have been able to see him earlier in his career. Amazing technicle player though
Zidane without a doubt the greatest of all time for me. He got the ball and made things happen you couldnt think was possible. He was creative from midfield all the way to scoring some of the most orgasmic goals you could ever see. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crDzasp1-60"]YouTube - Zinedine Zidane Champions' League Final 2002 - Real Madrid[/ame]
I'm not going to edit it to say R9, I'm just going to leave it so more stupid people can look at it as well
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Ow_gkLvNc&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Ow_gkLvNc&feature=related[/ame] I miss playing with a pure Trequartista. And cant wait for Enzo Zizou Edit: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0DX8xLbXpw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0DX8xLbXpw&feature=related[/ame] One of my favorite Zizou games.
Zidane vs Bayern Munich legends. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnR3MQjsmjo&feature=feedu"]YouTube - Zidane Vs Bayern Munich All Stars Team‏[/ame]