Do you want to know some fun facts about Zinedine Yazid Zidane?
No one will question Zinedine Yazid Zidane’s football skills and sportsmanship. Before his retirement from playing, he was among the best attacking midfielders of his generation and considered one of the best French athletes there is.
Today, he is one of the few football legends around, having won many prestigious titles, the Euro Cup and the World Cup among them.
Regarded by many as one of the greatest football players to have ever come from France, Zinedine Yazi Zidane was born in the southern French city of Marseille on June 23, 1972.
We have listed more fun facts about Zinedine Yazid Zidane. Check them out below.
Things you'll find in this article
- 13 Fun Facts About Zinedine Yazid Zidane
- 1. Zinedine Zidane has Algerian parents
- 2. Zinedine Zidane has 3 older brothers and 1 younger sister
- 3. He started playing football at 5 years old
- 4. His first goal with Cannes earned him his first car
- 5. His fans and friends call him “Zizou”
- 6. Zidane married a former dancer and model
- 7. Zidane had a record-breaking transfer fee
- 8. The whole France chanted his nickname for days on end in 1998
- 9. Zidane is widely regarded as one of the most influential Muslims in the world
- 10. Zidane is one of the most decorated football players in history
- 11. Zidane retired at 33 years old
- 12. His four sons are all football players like him
- 13. As a manager, Zinedine Zidane has won 11 trophies
13 Fun Facts About Zinedine Yazid Zidane
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1. Zinedine Zidane has Algerian parents
Smail Zidane and Malika Zidane, Zinedine’s parents, were Kabyle people. They were Algerians who came to France from northern Algeria’s Kabylia region in 1953.
The Kabylia region is part of the Tell Atlas mountain range. It is situated along the fringes of the Mediterranean.
Smail and Malika lived in a tiny village called Aguemone and spoke Berner, the language of the region. They first came to Paris but moved to Marseille after struggling to find jobs at the French capital.
2. Zinedine Zidane has 3 older brothers and 1 younger sister
Zinedine Zidane’s brother Farid died of cancer at age 54 in 2019. His other brothers are Madjid and Nourredine.
Zidane’s younger and only sister, Lila, is one of the footballer’s business advisers. She also assits him in managing his many businesses.
3. He started playing football at 5 years old
Zinedine Zidane named three former Marseille players as his idols growing up in Castellane, a suburb of Marseille, where was introduced to football at a young age. He was five when he joined football games with the other children in the neighborhood.
He later joined the junior team of a local club, getting his first player’s license soon after. He was 10 years old.
Zidane left Marseille to play professional football for AS Cannes when he was 16.
4. His first goal with Cannes earned him his first car
AS Cannes’ club president admired Zinedine Zidane so much that he promised to give the young player from Marseille a car after he scored his first goal at the club.
It happened two years later, on February 10, 1991. Zidane scored his first-ever goal against Nantes in a game Cannes won with a score of 2 – 1.
5. His fans and friends call him “Zizou”
There are two theories as to how Zinedine Zidane’s nickname “Zizou” came to be.
One says that a friend first called him so because Zidane reminded that friend of another great footballer named Zizou.
The other theory says his original nickname was “Zizi,” which was an awkward French slang word for the male genitalia, and so they changed it to “Zizou.”
6. Zidane married a former dancer and model
Zinedine Zidane was 17 and representing AS Cannes when he met Véronique Fernández Lentisco, an 18-year-old dancer who was taking dance classes at Rosella Hightower School in Cannes at the time.
The footballer, on the other hand, was training at the Cannes Training Centre. They struck up a conversation – and five years later, on the 28th of May 1994, the two got married at the Bordeaux town hall.
Véronique Zidane was born in Aveyron in southern France, but she grew up in Spain where her family is originally from. She went back to France for her studies.
The Zidanes have four children together, all boys.
7. Zidane had a record-breaking transfer fee
When Zidane moved from Italy’s Juventus to Spain’s Real Madrid in 2001, his transfer fee of $8.1 million astonished many people. The staggering transfer fee was a record high at the time.
Zidane worked to deserve the whooping $8.1. million, garnering many new accolades for the Spanish club through his skillful strategic offense and great leadership abilities.
8. The whole France chanted his nickname for days on end in 1998
This occured after he led his country to the 1998 FIFA World Cup victory. The whole of France chanted his nickname “Zizou” over and over for days on end.
That final match took place on July 12 that year at the Stade de France in the French capital in front of 75,000 fans and about 1.7 billion viewers on television.
France defeated the Brazilian national team at a 3 – 0 score, with Zidane scoring the two of three goals for the French team.
9. Zidane is widely regarded as one of the most influential Muslims in the world
The declaration was made official in 2016, when Zinedine Zidane was chosen by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan to be ranked among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world.
The French football star, however, describes himself as a non-practicing Muslim.
10. Zidane is one of the most decorated football players in history
There is no question that Zinedine Zidane is one of the best players France has ever had, having won many games for both his teams and country.
As an individual player, Zidane has earned a great number of accolades. The countless awards and titles verify his greatness in his chosen sport. The coveted Ballon d’Or (Don Balon Award) was given to him in 1998.
He has also been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year Award three times – in 1998, 2000, and 2003.
He received other accolades, including a Ligue 1 Player of the Year (1996), Serie A Footballer of the Year (2001), and La Liga Best Foreign Player (2002). He was also given the title of Golden Ball Player of the Tournament in 2006.
11. Zidane retired at 33 years old
Much to his fans’ dismay, the French midfielder retired from his illustrious football career after the 2006 World Cup finals. He was 33 years old at the time.
Zidane was at the peak of his career, having proven his greatness for both his teams and nation. However, due to his injuries in the last year and a half, the French superstar decided to retire from playing.
Through his football career, Zidane has represented France three times in the World Cups, winning one, and playing a total of 12 games.
12. His four sons are all football players like him
Zinedine Zidane and his wife Veronique has four sons together, all following their daddy’s footsteps.
The eldest, Enzo Zidane (born 1995), currently plays as a midfielder for CF Fuenlabrada. The second son, Luca Zidane (born 1998), is a goalkeeper for SD Eibar. The third son Theo Zidane (born 2002) is midfielder for Real Madrid Castilla. The youngest Zidane, Elyaz (born 2005), is a defender for France national under-17 football team.
13. As a manager, Zinedine Zidane has won 11 trophies
Upon retiring, Zidane did not leave the football field entirely. Instead, he accepted a managerial position. Just like before, he is winning at it – and at both state and national levels at that!
Four years after his retirement from playing, Zidane was taken in by Real Madrid to become its special adviser to the team. Eight months later, he was named the club’s sporting director and eventually manager.
In early 2016, Zidane became the club’s first-team coach, winning 9 trophies, which include 3 successive titles at the UEFA Champions League.
Overall, Zinedine Zidane has bagged 11 trophies as Real Madrid’s manager.
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries and lived in 4 continents in the last 10 years, including France. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France.