Zinedine Zidane at 51: Top 5 Greatest Moments of the France Icon

Zinedine Zidane will go down as one of the greatest footballers in the history of football after having an illustrious playing career - and perhaps an even better one as a manager.

The legendary Frenchman, who clocks 51 today, won a total of 15 trophies during his career as a professional footballer, including one FIFA World Cup title and the UEFA Champions League.

Zidane also won multiple individual awards, including one Ballon d’Or in 1998, a FIFA Best player award three times, and World Best club coach twice, among many others, Football Transfers reports.

The Frenchman has also been the man for the big occasion, as his goals won the UEFA Champions League for Real Madrid in 2002 and the FIFA World Cup for France in 1998.

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As the former Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid player turns 51, Sports Brief looks back at the five best moments of his playing career.

5. Winning World Cup with France

Zidane was the unsung hero of France's World Cup victory in 1998. Les Bleus had never won the title and Zizou had had a difficult tournament, even being sent off in the group stages, but he managed to turn his fortunes around.

The ex-Juventus midfielder rose to the big occasion in the final itself versus Brazil, heading home twice from corners in the first half in a 3-0 victory.

4. Zidane’s 1998 Ballon d’Or win

Zidane's heroics in the 1998 World Cup final were important in his Ballon d'Or victory that year. He became only the fourth Frenchman in history to win the Golden Ball, behind French legends Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, and Jean-Pierre Papin.

The former Real Madrid player was the last French player to win the Ballon d’Or until Karim Benzema won in 2022.

3. Zidane’s spectacular UCL final volley

When Real Madrid needed a hero in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final, Zidane responded with one of the best goals in the competition’s history. Los Blancos were drawn 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen in the final when he settled the game with a moment of genius.

Roberto Carlos crossed the ball high up into the sky, and the Frenchman volleyed it into the top corner from the edge of the box with his weaker left foot to give Real Madrid a 2-1 lead and eventually the title.

2. The Zidane masterclass against Brazil

Zidane defied his age to roll out one of his best performances at the FIFA World Cup in the quarter-final tie against Brazil at 34. The then Real Madrid star-man ran the show in the middle of the park, assisting Thierry Henry's winner and leading the Brazilians a merry dance in a 1-0 win.

On a pitch with the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Kaka, and Ronaldinho, Zidane stood head above shoulders among the rest as he led France to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.

1. The panenka and Zidane's inglorious headbutt

In what was to be his final game before retiring, Zidane led France to the 2006 World Cup final in Germany - and he once again stole the show for both good and bad reasons. He put Les Bleus ahead with an extremely audacious Panenka penalty, but Marco Materazzi's header equalised.

In extra time, Zidane reacted to Materazzi's trash-talking by savagely headbutting the Italian defender, resulting in his dismissal and Italy's World Cup victory on penalties.

Zidane speaks on next job

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Zidane discussing his coaching future amid reports of him becoming the new Paris Saint-Germain coach. Zizou has been out of management since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021.

The legendary player has been linked with a move to replace Christophe Galtier at the Ligue 1 champions, while former Bayern Munich boss, Julian Nagelsmann, is reportedly the frontrunner to take over at Parc des Princes.