Zinedine Zidane:
At number seven in the list of Top Ten Footballers Of All Time is Zinedine Zidane.
Very few midfielders have made as much impact as Zidane. Widely regarded as the greatest playmaker of the world, Zidane represented France and played for the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid during his illustrious career. The midfield maestro netted twice for his national side in their 3-0 1998 World Cup final win over Brazil and almost single-handedly guided them to victory in Euro 2000.
He also scored one of the greatest goals in UEFA Champions League history with a left-foot volleyed winner in the 2002 final. Who could forget his performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup which infamously ended for him with a red card as he was given the marching orders for head-butting Marco Materazzi in the final. But even such a shameful end couldn’t detract from a career which included several personal accolades.
He was named the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and also won the 1998 Ballon d’Or. He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 1996, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2001, and La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2002. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the world’s greatest living players compiled by Pelé, and in the same year was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. Zidane is one of eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.