Claim: Zinedine Zidane was a European soccer player.

Zinedine Yazid Zidane -LRB- -LSB- zinedin zidan -RSB- , born 23 June 1972 -RRB- , nicknamed `` Zizou '' , is a retired French footballer and current manager of Real Madrid . He played as an attacking midfielder for the France national team , Cannes , Bordeaux , Juventus and Real Madrid . An elite playmaker , renowned for his elegance , vision , ball control and technique , Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll . He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time .   At club level , Zidane won the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid , two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned teams . His 2001 transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid set a world record fee of an equivalent $ 75 million . His left-foot volleyed winner in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final is considered to be one of the greatest goals in the competition 's history . On the international stage with France , Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup , scoring twice in the final , and UEFA Euro 2000 where he was named Player of the Tournament . The World Cup triumph made him a national hero in France , and he received the Légion d'honneur in 1998 .   Zidane was named the FIFA World Player of the Year three times , in 1998 , 2000 and 2003 , and 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 . Zidane received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup , despite his infamous sending off in the final against Italy for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest . Prior to the World Cup , he announced he would retire at the end of the tournament .   After retirement , Zidane became assistant coach at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti for the 2013 -- 14 season . After a successful year in which the club won the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey , Zidane became the coach of Real Madrid 's B team , Real Madrid Castilla . In 2010 , Zidane was an ambassador for Qatar 's successful bid to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup , the first Arab country to host the tournament . Zidane is currently the manager of Real Madrid , taking over the position in January 2016 . In his first season as manager , Zidane won the UEFA Champions League title .