The Ballon d’Or 98 after giving the World Cup to the France team, then best player of Euro 2000 won by the Blues and star playmaker of the Real Madrid Galacticos. In 1996, however, Zinédine Zidane raised some questions about his ability to become a great player. After an explosion by the Girondins de Bordeaux, one of the best players in the 1996 championship, the attacking midfielder was recruited by Juventus for 24 years.

Or “Zizou”, installed as playmaker for the Blues by Aimé Jacquet, failed to distinguish himself during Euro 96, surrounded by opposing defensive midfielders. The French team has a pair of glasses in the group stage (a 3-1 victory against the first place Bulgarian team), and it advances to the quarter-finals against the Netherlands on penalties (0-0, 5 tab to 4) but falls in the semi-finals on penalties against the Czech Republic (0-0, 5 tables of 6). The Bianconeri’s first season was very brilliant, with 7 goals and 10 assists decided in 44 matches on the scoreboard.

David Bettoni, his assistant at Real Madrid from 2014 to 2021 – to win two La Liga and especially three Champions League in a row – remembers very well the Italian debut of Zinédine Zidane, his friend from the AS Cannes training center. Bettoni, a modest defensive midfielder, has an effective sign in Italy that says “Yaz” (Yazid is Zidane’s middle name). The Italian origin, who helped the Zidane family, also gave an interview to Raphaël Domenach for the media
Square.

Zidane was physically injured following an accident

“I have enough time in my language, my accumulator also has time to settle in at my new club. I am with him every day. Afterwards, the family is close to each other and to their best friends, they are beautiful with everything necessary, modesty, they have nothing to do with meeting in the best conditions. The suffering car is not ready to arrive in the best conditions after the Euro injury, in the car, and in the progress of the Euro as quickly as possible »explains Bettoni.

Zinédine Zidane was the victim of a car accident in Bordeaux, just before the European Nations Championship in 1996. Hit in the head, with a burst eyebrow, he was hospitalized. The Girondins doctor said it was sporting, but the incident was also reported in detail. The Blues playmaker is competing in the Euro “at 60, 70%”as the journalist remembers The Team Vincent Duluc, interviewed during the tour in England.