So many things made Zidane special. CR7 and Messi are great players, generational players even, and we’re lucky to have witnessed them, but Zidane was something else. Leadership wise alone, he made even Anelka fall in line. On top of being a great general, he was the most clutch player of all time. He had a huge impact in big decisive games, especially in finals. His mental focus was insane. He made big plays in big games, while toying with defenders like a puppeteer. I don’t care what the stats say, I’ve been watching soccer for 30 years, and no player made me love soccer more than ZZ.
I agree. Stats are only a part of what should be used to determine what makes a a player great or the argument of who is the best etc etc. But for me, Zidane and Zidane’s direct opponents around his level in his position are the best. To run a high level game in midfield consistently for over a decade these players should be classed as the best and Zidane was top of that list. The likes of Pirlo, Rui Costa, Effenburg, Scholes, Redondo ( and many more) are also my all time favourites also but are second to ZZ.
@@AntonioRodriguez-nq7ml For the experts, the best boxer in history is Sugar Ray Robinson. Ali is undoubtedly among the top 5, but he is not the best, only the most mediatic.
Rio talking pure shit. I'll take elegance over explosiveness every day of the weak. With Messi you see him moving quickly, with Zidane you see him caressing the ball around in a way that bamboozles the opposition, time appears to stop. He was a magician who did something other players couldn't. His reactions are only part of it, he has an insight into what's happening on the pitch that other players don't.
Zidane is a level above Ronaldinho and Ronaldo even. He beat one of the all time great international sides (1998 Brazil team) in the 1998 World Cup final by scoring a brace. He was player of the tournament in Euro 2000 and led France to championship. He won Real Madrid the Champions League in 2001 by scoring one of the most insane goals. He destroyed Brazil (who were reigning champions) again in the 2006 World Cup Quarter Final. He scored France's only goals in 2006 World Cup semi-final and final. I have no doubt he would have won them another one of he had stuck around. He wad MR. CLUTCH.
People always forget what made Zizou so special. Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona, Pelé and many else were/are exceptionnal. But they're individualities. What made Zidane particular is that he made the whole team better just by being on the pitch. I can't see anyone else than Cruyff in that area.
100%. Rare players like that can elevate the standard of their team..from a 7/10 to a 8-9/10.....Yes Messi and Ronaldo are world class; but they in no way have the same presence that Zidane did/does. His managerial career results with Real M prove this...true leader.
When Roy Keane & Paul scholes , two outstanding Man U midfielders show admiration for the talent of zidane . that sums it up. Lionel Messi in his whole career has only asked "One" player for his shirt .He asked Zidane.
We simply can’t express how much we miss zidane’s display in the pitch. Football legends are behind him so we don’t need to justify how incredible he is. Brilliant ball control and outstanding with rate enforce us to get ultimate pleasure, what else could we ask for? We are all thankful for you Zizou.. Cheers
I'm sorry Rio but I think you must be really high to disrespect Zizou like that. Nobody played or plays football like Zinedine Zidane. Yes Ronaldo and Messi scores lot of goals but the way Zizou caress the ball is just a joy to watch.
I saw England play France in a friendly at Wembley just after the 98 world cup, England were a decent team but Zidane made them look like kids. He elevated the French players and led their dominance in that era.
The likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Pele or Maradona might be "better" players, but oh my word, no one ever played the beautiful game more beautiful than Zidane.
When Zidane played, beauty was one the pitch. I used to hear from this biker who didn't like football, but he said I love Zidane. Its like Michelangelo was on the pitch painting the Sistine Chapel. In the 2002 Champions League Final, its was like God dropped the ball from heaven and said "Create Art Zidane". I never was astonished in football like that day.
Eye of the tiger, smile like an angel, Humility, Talent, Elegance, Passion for the Game ... Everybody loves Zidane around the World. Partners or Opponents, in every countries, every continents ALL FOOTBALL FANS recognize the true masterclass of f a simple man. Some are born Artist Zidane Is Art of Football the most amazing is that if you cross the man in the street you would never imagine he could be so elegant with a ball on the pitch ... A unicorn
Some players have some aura, charisma and natural leadership that put them immediately over all others, I can't explain it, but Zidane has it, Maradona has it, pelé has it, then Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Platini, Zico. Players like cr7, messi, Ronaldinho, look like kids having fun on the field, explosives and fast, but something missing, that aura and giant leadership is not there. They run, dribble, pass and score, but they don't lead. I was counting lately messi's unnecessary goals in games where barca were in lead 3 or 4-0, and then he scores the fifth and maybe the sixth, I was amazed how many he has of those. In the old time, most goal scorers use to swap when the game is secured. Think about long term and team's best decisions instead of individual decisions. That why Zidane was ronaldo's best manager, he managed his time for the prime moment and won 3 champions league in the row. Zidane lead as a manager the same way he uses to lead as a player. Be patient, play your game, only the final score counts, play more intensive in the money time. Zidane always scored when everyone was desperate for a winning goal. He made us so happy at every goal he scored because it was a special moment, a victory moment, and always with magic touch and style. Zidane and Maradona my all time favorites.
There are a lot of incredible players but Zidane was special. With him the other 10 players in the team became good. He was magic. Nobody did what he did in 2006. He came out of retirement to resurrect a team that was not winning any more games and that risked not qualifying for the World Cup. The rest is history. If Zidane had won that World Cup, imagine how he would be considered today.
ZIDANE:s strenght is his mastermind and vision ..the fact that he could make a fool of you even when his moving slowly ...unlike most of legendary players like messi cristiano ..ronaldinho...ronaldo 9. ..he didn;t need to be fast to eliminate you ... he could make a fool of you just by doing the most unexpected thing at the last moment ...and leave u completely lost in the pitch ...the guy had the extremely rare ability of seing and anticipating what u gonna do before you even do it ...GENIUS
@@SCARAMONGER_ , take this from a guy who hated Zidane in his prime: had Zidane's team played against Satan's, I would have supported Satan's team. I grew to admire him only very recently. While, on the other hand, my earliest favorite player had been Maradona. So, hear me out: of these two: I am not going to say who is a better player than the other, but, believe me, wherever one goes, the other is absolutely fit to go.
I'm a diehard Barça fan but if there was one player from Real Madrid that I wouldn't mind seeing in a Barça shirt, that player would be Zinedine Zidane. The man's footballing IQ is exceptional. He led France to their first ever FIFA World Cup in 1998 & was the playmaker for that special Madrid side of the early 2000s aka the Galacticos. He almost single handedly led France to another World Cup final in 2006 only for his emotions to get the best of him but I'll never forget how he made the likes of Kaka, Cafu, Ronaldinho, R9, Roberto Carlos etc look like amateurs in that tournament. Zidane was unique.
I agree with everything, except that R9 was already in the latest stage of his career after many injuries, less motivation also, but Zidane said R9 to be better than him. Zidane is definitely one of the greatest ever though.
@zimmer9999 R9 is not better than zidane. No one played like Zidane. ...no one ...his touch no one has it ..his dribbling no one has it ....zidnae is humble ....R9 was amazing ...and far from other players but zizou is unique....even zidane was in his last career...and he played only two games after brazil in 2006 and retired.
@@zimmer9999R9 not better than Z. Zidane a playmaker and R9 the best striker ever. Different positions so you can’t compare them. Zidane is unmatched- no one plays like him except Messi
Without a doubt the greatest midfielder to play the game. In my eyes he could play any position on the pitch and still be class. A complete player and a supreme athlete.
Individually there are so many great player beside Zidane, but for the team vision and perspective Zidane is the best in my opinion.. I was lucky to witness his great moments in footbal with france, juve, real madrid
There are players who were better skilled, but his impact on the pitch with any team is still unmatched. He was a genius of football. Probably one of the most well rounded players ever. Watching him on the field gave anyone goosebumps. You just always believed he could do anything with the ball when he received it
Zizzou is the Greatest of all time. He won everything a footballer could ever dream of. Balon d'Ors, World cup, Champions League, La liga, Seria A and much more.
Maradona was unreal and will probably go down as the GOAT. But man oh man... watching Zidane was like watching a pro vs amateurs. He just made it look so damn easy. Unbelievable touch, vision, strength and ball control for a big fella! He just hardly ever gave away the ball! Riquelme had some of Zizou’s qualities but wasn’t nearly as good as him. It’s between Maradona, Zidane, Pele, Ronaldo No.9, and Messi. Second tier would be Zico, Cryuff, Ronaldinho, CR7, Best, and De Stefano.
Even Roman acknowledged Zizou's greatness and fine touch. He was delightful to watch. I remember, after Brazil vs France 2006, all my friends and I went to play football and tried to emulate Zidane's moves. Great memories .
Dans Zidane ,en plus du virtuose de la feinte ,du dribble ,il y a la vue du jeu. En plus de la vue du jeu il y a l'intelligence qui rayonne de ce qu'il fait. C'est pour ça que je mettrai Zidane au dessus de Messi ,joueur incroyable . Sans le minimiser ,j'ai l'impression que Messi est doté d'une habileté au delà de l'imagination,mais je sens plus la pensée , la réflexion à la seconde ,en pleine action chez Zidane . Ne parlons pas des feintes qu'il invente tout le temps. Pelé , Maradona ...zidane.mon trio forever.
I think zidane is unique in style and everything he is so special.others play the same game with the same way but zidane gave us a new style and way of playing football .he is unique where others are the same .he plays simply in the difficult situation
Zidane made love to football, he made the simplest things look amazing. I'll forever be a Raul fan but man watching zizou control the ball was something special.
Hey Rio Ferdinand : the very reason Zidane was one of the greatest IS his lack of explosiveness. He's the only one of them all who didn't have that quality which made it easier for the other ones. He made it to the very top on a sheer class basis.
i agree with ferdinand. hes not in top 5 if u think of messi, cristiano, r9, maradona , ronaldinho. ZIdane and iniesta is a strong debate but most people would think its dumb because idane is from the older generation. i feel iniesta is even more unique cause hes a 5"7 little guy whos not quite as strong or tall as 6"1 zidane and yet u cant get the bal of iniesta in his prime also
@@aageseljegard8730 why ? I disagree As a player Iniesta has more trophies, both won a world cup but Iniesta has 2 euro trophies, 4 champions Leagues and both were amazing midfielders Iniesta is underrated by some, to say he is WAY better, I can't agree.
@@erykmelgaard2226 When you make a comparison between players, first we need to set the parameters upon which they are compared. If you just want to compare trophies, there would not be any space for argument, since that's a factual analysis. Zidane excelled in one of the toughest defenses in Italy, then he was the galactico among the galacticos in Spain. In the International arena, the difference he made was clearly visible. France won everything with Zidane and they lost in the first round without Zidane. He decided the pace of France's game. Most of all he delivered in almost all the big games with his individual brilliance let it be any of the crucial free kicks or penalties or or the headers or the assists out of nowhere, he was the one who made the difference for his sides. He would merely run with ball, gives the ball, takes it back, Make a twist or turn, and suddenly there would be space out of nowhere. Such was his magic. He was undeniably the greatest of his generation. Can't say any of these about Iniesta who excelled under the tiki taka and mostly Xavi was the one who controlled the game. Iniesta was not even the best player in his team at Barca. Unlike Messi, both Xavi or Iniesta could not make it anywhere near their best before the prime or after the fall of tiki taka. They dominated the world together when tiki taka reigned supreme.
I don't like "the best player" thing because I think 1. Football is a collective, hence the achievement of any player isn't individual, 2 .not all players have the opportunity to play for a team full of other stars, 3. Not all great players played in similar or have same attributes, so all this makes comparison difficult. However, all I can say is that zizou was a different proposition-- has something that set him apart. He always seemed to have space because of close control and dancing body. It was like you see all those great players who dribble fast and score fast and use their physical attributes to maximise their ball skills, but him had his dance moves and brain which gave him space and time, and control of opponents. Zizou in front of his opponents was like an ancient Greek philosopher patronising his lesser villagers. Zidane wasn't just about effectiveness and winning, though he loved winning things, he enjoyed his football and loved to entertain. Despite his entertaining moves, he was against showboating and humiliating his opponents. I don't think we'll ever see someone with his skillset.
That drama ending is parto of the Man's amazing destiny. He was a hero in 1998 and 2006 is another end that add to the incredible story of the man Nobody can blame him. We still love him He is only human
He put his pride ahead of the world cup That says everything about the man. Sad as seeing him walk past the trophy is, it's an important part of his story
Timing master in everything he does. He makes the ball dance and seems to have every player position sending echoes to his inner radar. An artist on top of a fantastic player.
Wow what a marvelous player to watch showboating his skills on the field. Always an outstanding player amongst his peers, a rare quality to find, he was indeed in a league of his own. His excellent ball control is unquestionable. You have achieved so great for world football Zizou❤️❤️
If Scholes and Ronaldinho are asked if they had the opportunity to pick one player they would’ve liked to play with and they say Zizou then any internet troll should 🤫
Zidane was ultimate midfielder for his size 6foot plus his first touch was phenomenal The ball seemed to stick no matter what part of body used to control the ball He perfected ,mastered for his frame unrivalled balance .Used his body to protect the ball opponents just couldn't take the ball off him feigned left to go right and opposite always balanced & in control of ball For me Zidanes greatest skill was his automatic AI like Balance Glided about pitch like a White Swan Keane Scholes & Gerrard all said Zidane,toughest opponent Keane said he could be nasty all adds upto Ultimate attacking midfielder.Sad way int career ended went off World Cup Final Still for me there's Maradona higher power gifted then next level Ronaldhino greatness Zidane,Scholes,Gerrard,Ronaldo's
Zidane had many qualities and he was explosive when he had to be. If you watch some of the videos of him you see him dribbling past people with speed. It's just that because he had to many qualities he did not always need to rely on speed. Great technical ability, vision, good understanding of positioning, grace, great quality of decision made him one of the best players ever. Zidane could have been a striker, he would have scored many goals, but instead chose to be a midfielder. He stood out in an era of football that there were truly world class players (1996-2004). The guy was blessed. Other footballers try and do tricks, Zidane did them without looking like he was trying. This is what makes him different. He played like he came from heaven.
Everybody has their opinions but for me he is arguably the best player ever if not definitely the best cam ever. I would say messi is better but he is a completely different player to zidane. It can be very hard to say who is the best because there was so many legends
Messi is great, but that Barcelona team is loaded. He wasn't able to replicate his magic at the world level like Zidane did when his support cast isn't as great as it was at B'lona.
Rio Ferdinand... envy kills, my friend... if a Dr could open your brain for e second.. it will read “I Rio Love Zidane”... Zidane played the game as if he invented the sport... Keegan said it the best “I ever seen many players and they all have things in common, but Zidane is different”...
Diego for me will always be the greatest player to ever exist until the end of time BUT anyone who has Ziziou as there GOAT has my eternal respect he was so graceful on that pitch it was like watching a beautiful ballet just gorgeous man
Zidane was the most creative and most powerful. Today football is boring with too much passing and players not able to handle ball for a sec to do something with it as we see with Zidane, Ronaldinho, Messi or JJ Okocha at Frankfurt. Those fabulous goals from long distance are also missing.
The footballer's footballer. Finesse and fury in perfect harmony. No matter what his opponents may have said in public, every single one of them looked at him and felt inferior.
Zizou, quel talent! Contrôle du ballon dans toutes les positions, la conduite de balle géniale. Bon des deux pieds et de tête... un mental de champion , un cœur, un chevalier, un poète, un homme qu'il ne faut pas emmerder et manquer de respect .. merci zizou...
Zidane is a different League he was extremely strong could hold the midfield on his own score goals from anywhere and the goals he created was unreal he wasn't human he was that good and Zidane rated Paul scholes highly he said he was the best player in the world at one point scholes and Zidane in the same team unbeatable
If you look at Pele, Messi and Maradona they all had 3 common plays. They were skilled in ball control, dribbling and scoring but Zidane was different . He made the game more beautiful to watch.
To all those arguing about Ronaldo and Messi being the best..... I think the fact that professional footballers who have been on the pitch playing with or against ZZ and rates him as the best speaks for itself. And great footballers sich as Gerard, Keane, Beckham.... The way ZZ controlled the game, his touch, balance, leadership, goals...when it matters in finals...all make him the best. All though I think messi is not far off him. .
so every top player who played the game says Zidane is one of the greatest or the one player they would of love to play with expect rio shows you how much of a muppet he is and he's supposed to be a so called expert pundit Zidane definitely in the top three players to ever play the game on this planet could do things with a football that some professionals dream off
Zizou is like a football god, a divinity the highest little of a footballer. Stays on the top as mystical mythical figure like in the history of humanity. Maybe after few centuries if we lose all records. His name will be taken like those Greek, Roman and North African mythical gods.
No 1 ever ever comes close to world's best ever football/ soccer player zinadeen zidane. He came from nothing. Extremely poor. Extremely humble. Yet best ever. ❤.
I think Rio doesn't understand football. You could fire a football out of a cannon at 1000mph and Zidane would control it. Zidane has a passing range almost unmatched and physical stature. He still had an insane skill set. He's top 5 in most people's lists for best players ever.
He's allowed his own opinion theirs been too many monsters in the game of football zidane in all honesty doesn't have the week in week out consistency to merit top 10 yet alone top 5
