"I'm sorry Zizou, but no": this former teammate affirms that Zidane was not the best
Zinedine Zidane is considered one of the best players in the history of football. Through his record, his technique, and simply his class, "Zizou" left his mark on the world of football and French sport in general.
World champion in 1998 with two headed goals, and scorer of a masterful goal in the Champions League final against Leverkusen in 2002, Zidane has always been present at major events.
And yet, for one of his former teammates, the equally illustrious Robert Pires, no, Zinedine Zidane was not the best French player at the 98 World Cup held in France, quite the contrary in fact. "Collectively and defensively, we were very strong. And for me, Youri (Djorkaeff) was very good, Zizou was not."
"I'm sorry, Zizou, but no. I'm looking at you, no," he explains in the Kampo podcast, hosted by journalist Smaïl Bouabdellah. "No, but it's true! Zizou arrived just in time for the final, and God told him, 'You're going to make it.' It started from there. After that, we can't discuss qualities, but at that 1998 World Cup, the strong man offensively was Youri."
And it's true that the man nicknamed "Snake" was pretty good at this World Cup. A penalty scorer against Denmark, Youri Djorkaeff provided three assists to Bixente Lizarazu against Saudi Arabia, Lilian Thuram against Croatia, and… Zinedine Zidane, taking one of the decisive corners against Brazil. "He was solid in the game," recalls the former Arsenal midfielder, who was a substitute at this World Cup.
And for those who only remember Zidane's two goals in the final against Brazil, which were obviously of capital importance, the number 10 wasn't as decisive in the other matches, even receiving a red card against Saudi Arabia in the group stage, wiping his boots on a player. A highly reprehensible act and one that would certainly have earned him a longer suspension in our time.
L'Internaute
