Zinedine Zidane

My hero is Zinedine Zidane. During this story I will tell you why he is my hero and is my favorite player. Throughout this story I will try to convince you to have him as your hero.

Zinedine Zidane was born on the June 23, 1972 in Marseilles, France. His parents have a total of five children. When he was a kid, school was not his strongest thing so he turned to Soccer. When he was 16, a scout named Jean Varraud recruited the youngster to Cannes (a french soccer team). One year later, Zinedine makes his debut with the club's senior squad in the French Division 1. He got signed by Bordeaux in 1992. With his new club, Zidane reached the UEFA Cup finals in 1995/96 and attracted the attention of European powerhouse Juventus. After his move to Italy, trophies started to to pour in. By 1996, Zinedine had the UEFA Cup, the European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup under his belt. He also won the Italian Calcio twice in a row during the years 1997 and 1998. In the same two seasons, his club managed to reach the Champions League final twice.

When Real Madrid singed Zinedine Zidane in the summer of 2001, he became the most expensive player of all time. The Spanish club paid an amazing $66 Million for his transfer. In the 2001/02 season, the Frenchman lead Real Madrid to Champions League glory by scoring a spectacular winning goal in the final game.

In international competition, Zidane entered the spotlight after carrying his national team (France) to their first World Cup title in 1998. He eventually helped them win their second European title in EURO 2000. At World Cup 2002, France got eliminated in the first stage. Zinedine struggled with an injury at the time and watched most games from the sideline. Two years later at EURO 2004, Zidane's country failed to impress again and got knocked out by tournament surprise, Greece. Zidane retired from international football, but returned again in the wake of World Cup 2006.

Individually, Zinedine Zidane has been given every major award that a player can achieve. He has won the precious Balon D'Or in 1998 and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1998, 2000 and 2003. Currently, Zinedine Zidane is one of the most skillful and technically gifted players in the game. He can settle and distribute almost any pass thrown in his direction. In individual encounters, Zidane prefers to shield the ball and dribble away from pressure. His style is not flashy, but rather simple and elegant. Zidane can apply his playmaking skills in any circumstance and make it look effortless. A lot of people think that he is the greatest player of all time and the greatest all-around player of all time, too. That is my story of Zinedine Zidane and why he is my hero. That is my story of a great hero and person.