PSG for the third time became the champion of France

PSG after the victory over Montpellier with the score 2:1 in the away match of the 37th round of the French Ligue 1 ahead of schedule became the champion of the country. The title of the strongest club in France, PSG has won for the fifth time in their history (1985/86, 1993/94, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15), and the third time in a row.

In the last match of the wards Laurent Blanc took the lead on 17 minutes thanks to a goal by Blaise Matyuidi, and seven minutes later, Ezequiel Lavezzi doubled the lead. The hosts, in which structure the whole match played leased from Spartacus Lucas Barrios pulled one back managed to score in the end of the first half: on the 40th minute scored Anthony Mounier.

Thiago Silva: This season was for PSG heavier than previous

Defender of PSG Thiago Silva commented on the winning team in Ligue 1. After a successful guest of the meeting of the 37th round of the championship of France Montpellier (2: 1), the Parisians were able to advance to win the trophy.

“We have a great team, but now I am very happy as this season was heavier than the previous. I want to congratulate with the victory of each member of the team, because we spent a lot of matches. The battle on four fronts - a real test”- said Silva.

Raphael Varane: We closed Cristiano Ronaldo. We all know about his skill

French National team’s defender Raphael Varane commented on the result of a friendly match against Portugal. The meeting, held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis ended in victory for the French with a score 2:1.

“We closed Cristiano Ronaldo. We all know about his skill, and not scored, pleases us. We have defensively. Yes, it was a friendly match, but you saw how it was intense. As a complete match of the teams. With Portugal is always difficult,” – said Varane.

Benzema: The important thing is that the team won

France national team's striker Karim Benzema, considered the best player of the World Cup 2014 match with Honduras - confessed that he would like to have the assets of all three goals scored in this match. The game ended in victory for the French with a score of 3:0, Benzema scored twice and had an early shot hit, after which the ball hitting the post and the goalkeeper, flew over the goal line. Capture of identified special video system, and ball recorded as an own goal.

«The ball hit the post and the goalkeeper, but I immediately saw that it flew into the net. I am very pleased and proud. It would be great to check out a hat-trick, but the important thing is that the team won. Some are of me in terms of the number of goals scored, but, in my opinion, I can contribute in different ways in the game.

I had planned to play good football and win by showing your game without any pressure. I think we all could do today,» - said Benzema.

Carlo Ancelotti: Ibrahimovic was not asked to leave PSG

Head coach of Paris Saint-Germain Carlo Ancelotti commented on the information of the Italian press according to which Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has asked Parisians to expose it to the shuttle.

«Information doesn't match the reality. Ibrahimovic was not asked to leave Paris Saint-Germain. Our relationship with him? They are as good as and relationships with other players of the team,» - Ancelotti said.

Ibrahimovic has escaped punishment for a collision with Lovren

Swedish striker of Paris Saint-Germain FC Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not receive punishment for the collision with Lyon’s Defender Dejan Lovren in a match of two teams in the French Championship. The decision yesterday took the disciplinary Commission of France's national Professional Football League.

It is noted that, having heard the explanation of the Ibrahimovic, the Commission reviewed the trailer for an incident report, judges and representatives of PSG, finding that episode eventually wore the game character and did not hear the sanctions.

Ibrahimovic is recognized by fans of PSG's fifth consecutive player of the month

On the official website of PSG's traditional vote summed up that defines the best player in the team at the end of the month. For December was voted best Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has previously been recognized by fans of the Paris Club in August, September, October and November.

In the December vote, in which more than 18 thousand people, Ibrahimovic scored 27% of the vote. Second place went to Brazilian defender Thiago Silva - 18%, the third was the Argentinian midfielder Javier Pastore is 14%.

Nene: I'm going to play in Brazil

PSG striker Nene admitted that he is going to pursue a career in Brazilian Club. In the Championship of France - 2011/12 32-year-old shared with Olivier Giroud in first place in the race scorers, scoring 21 goals. A total of Nene spent the Parisians 79 matches, however he had no relations with Carlo Ancelotti.

«I'm going to play in Brazil. Already talked with Leonardo, and they agreed to let go of me. I have offers from European clubs, as well as teams from São Paulo, but for me is return to their homeland,» - Nene said.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: I prefer not to read newspapers

Striker of Paris Saint-Germain Zlatan Ibrahimovic described his purpose in Paris and said that all he asked is a winning Club.

«A lot of chatter in newspapers. Yesterday the press was writing about me today. And what they will write tomorrow? Anyway, I prefer not to read newspapers. Just keep doing your job. I have to play football and fully placed on the field. I want to win with PSG - that's all that matters. Even two years ago, fans of the Club and not dreaming that they will have such a team with such players. Today we've got a fantastic Squad, we can accomplish much,» - Ibrahimovic said.

Lavezzi scored 3000nd ball in PSG's history

Former Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi, now defends the colours of Paris Saint-Germain, entered the history of the French club. The Argentinian became the author of 3000st goal of the Paris team in history.

The match 16-round French League 1 team Carlo Ancelotti has met with Evian and scored four goals. Jubilee was the second goal and scoring Lavezzi.

It is interesting that the author of the historical goals and could become the team's top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but he only scored in the last match of the first ball.

Football Genius: Karim Benzema

Karim Mostafa Benzema was born 19 December 1987. He is a French international footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid in La Liga. He primarily plays as a striker whose influence can extend out to the wings and is known for his technical ability, powerful style of play, and vast goal-scoring ability.

He is described as an «immensely-talented striker» who is «strong and powerful" and "a potent finisher from inside the box». Benzema was born in the city of Lyon, France to French nationals of Algerian descent. His grandfather, Da Lakehal Benzema, lived in the village of Tighzert, located in the northern town of Beni Djellil in Algeria before migrating to Lyon, where he eventually settled in the 1950s. Benzema's father, Hafid, was born in Tighzert, in Kabylie, while his mother, Wahida Djebbara, was born and raised in Lyon; her family originated from Oran. Benzema is the third youngest in the family and grew up with eight other siblings in Bron, an eastern suburb of Lyon. His younger brothers Gressy and Sabri are also footballers. The former currently plies his trade at the amateur level with Vaulx-le-Velin in the Division d'Honneur, the sixth division of French football, while the latter plays in the youth academy of a club in the family's hometown of Bron. Since establishing himself as an international footballer, Benzema has been involved in numerous promotional campaigns. Since 2008, he has regularly appeared on the cover of the French version of the annual FIFA video game. Benzema is sponsored by German sportswear company Adidas and has, subsequently, appeared in several television advertisements for the brand.

Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. Benzema made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria. On his debut, he scored his first international goal in a 1:0 win. Benzema has represented France at two major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship. He made two appearances in the former competition against Romania and Italy in the group stage.

He made his Champions League debut for the club on 30 September in a group stage tie against French club Marseille. In the match, Benzema assisted on a Cristiano Ronaldo goal. After failing to score a goal in the month of October, in the team's first match in November against Italian club Milan in the Champions League, Benzema scored the opener to give Madrid a 1:f0 lead. His goal was later cancelled out by a Ronaldinho penalty. On 7 November, in the El Derbi madrileño, Benzema assisted on Madrid's second goal, scored by Marcelo. Madrid won the match 3:2.

On 18 April 2010, it was first reported by French television service M6 that four members of the French national team were being investigated for their roles as clients in a prostitute ring operated inside of a Paris nightclub, with some of the women possibly being underage. The players were eventually revealed to be Franck Ribery, Sidney Govou, Hatem Ben Arfa, and Benzema. Benzema was alleged to have had a sexual rendezvous with a prostitute when she was 16 years of age, an act Benzema denied through his lawyer. On 20 July, Benzema was questioned by Paris police and indicted on the charge of "solicitation of a minor prostitute." In November 2011, prosecutors asked for the cases against Ribéry and Benzema be dropped, saying that the players were not aware that the escort was 16 years old.

Benzema began his football career at his hometown club Bron Terraillon SC at the age of eight. While at the club, he was nicknamed Coco by friends and, after scoring two goals in an under-10 match against the Lyon youth academy, began attracting attention from the biggest club in the city. According to Serge Santa Cruz, who was president of Bron Terraillon in the 1990s, Lyon officials had visited him directly in an attempt to sign the youngster; however, Santa Cruz refused. After talking with Benzema's father, the club allowed the player to undergo a trial with Lyon. Following the trial, Benzema officially joined Lyon and was inserted into the club's academy at the age of nine.

Benzema quickly ascended up the youth categories in the academy. He served as a ballboy during Lyon senior team matches and performed well in school being described as a student who was «discreet and respectful». Benzema was born in the city of Lyon and began his football career with local club Bron Terraillon. In 1996, he joined the biggest club in the city Olympique Lyonnais and, subsequently, came through the club's youth academy. Benzema made his professional debut in the 2004–05 season and appeared sporadically in his first three seasons as Lyon won three titles in that span. In the 2007–08 season, Benzema became a starter and had a breakthrough year scoring over 30 goals as Lyon won its seventh straight league title. For his performances, he was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Ligue 1 Player of the Year and named to the organization's Team of the Year. Benzema was also the league's top scorer and given the Bravo Award by Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo. After another season at Lyon, in July 2009, Benzema signed a six-year contract with Spanish outfit Real Madrid. After struggling to establish himself in his debut season with the club, in the ensuing two seasons, Benzema reached prominence scoring 32 goals en-route to helping Real Madrid win the Copa del Rey in 2011 and the 2011–12 edition of La Liga. In December 2011, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year. At under-16 level, Benzema scored 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans, the domestic league for under-16 youth players in France. Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Benzema was promoted to the club's reserve team, which was playing in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. Despite only playing with the team during the autumn campaign, he scored a team-high ten goals as the Lyon reserve team finished second in its group.

Benzema began the 2005–06 season under the tutelage of new manager Gérard Houllier. Under Houllier, he struggled for meaningful minutes due to the presence of newly-signed Brazilian striker Fred, as well as Wiltord. Benzema made his season debut on 2 October 2005 in a league win over Rennes appearing as a substitute. On 6 December, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in Lyon's final group stage match against Norwegian club Rosenborg BK. On his competition debut, he scored his first professional goal in a 2:1 win. A month later, Benzema scored his first professional double in a 4:0 win over Grenoble in the Coupe de France. On 4 March 2006, Benzema scored his first professional league goal against Ajaccio in a 3:1 win. Benzema began earning more playing time in the 2006–07 season and made his competitive season debut in the 2006 Trophée des Champions against Paris Saint-Germain. In the French supercup, Benzema converted a penalty, which drew the match at 1:1. Lyon later won the league curtain-raiser 5:4 on penalties. Benzema opened the league campaign on a quick note scoring in the team's first match of the season against Nantes. Three weeks later, on 26 August 2006, Benzema appeared as a substitute and scored two goals in a 4:1 away win over Nice. He also converted two goals in the Champions League group stage against Romanian outfit Steaua Bucureşti and Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. After appearing regularly during the autumn campaign, on 10 November, Benzema suffered a severe thigh injury. The injury resulted in the striker missing three months of action before returning in February 2007. Benzema failed to score a goal until the final league match of the season against Nantes as Lyon recorded its sixth consecutive league title.

On 1 July 2009, it was announced that Lyon had reached an agreement with Spanish club Real Madrid for the transfer of Benzema. The transfer fee was priced at €35 million with the fee rising to as much as €41 million based on incentives. On 9 July, Benzema successfully passed his medical and signed his contract, a six-year deal, later that afternoon. He was presented officially as a Real Madrid player later that night at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, similarly to the previous signings of Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. Benzema was called up to the senior team for the first time under manager Paul Le Guen during the break leading up to the second half of the season. As is customary with new players arriving at Lyon, the young striker had to stand up and speak to his new teammates, which at that time included the likes of Michael Essien, Sylvain Wiltord, Florent Malouda, and Éric Abidal. While speaking, Benzema was subjected to jokes and laughter, which prompted the youngster to declare «Do not laugh, I'm here to take your place». He, subsequently, made his professional debut on 15 January 2005 appearing as a substitute for Pierre-Alain Frau. Lyon won the match 2:0 as Benzema provided the assist on the second goal scored by Bryan Bergougnoux. Five days after his debut, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal. After making three more appearances as a substitute, on 2 April, Benzema made his first professional start in a 1:0 win over Lens. He finished the campaign with six appearances as Lyon won its fourth straight league title.

Benzema made his league debut for Madrid on 29 August 2009 against Deportivo La Coruña. He started the match, but was substituted out in the second half as Madrid won 3:2. A month later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5:0 victory against newly-promoted club Xerez. After missing the mid-week match against Villarreal, against Tenerife at the weekend, Benzema scored his first double for Madrid in a 3:0 home victory. Benzema was called up for the first time to the senior national team by Raymond Domenech on 9 November 2006 for the team's friendly match against Greece that would be played on 15 November. Benzema described the call-up as "a reward", while also stating "I am pleased, of course, me and my family. A (the senior national team), is the national team's highest honor". Two days before the match, he was forced to withdraw from the team due to a thigh injury, which he suffered why playing domestically for Lyon. After failing to make the squad for the team's February 2007 match against Argentina, Benzema returned to the team in March for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Lithuania and a friendly against Austria. After failing to appear in the qualifier, he made his international debut on 28 March 2007 against Austria. Benzema made his Real Madrid debut on 20 July in the club's opening pre-season friendly against Irish club Shamrock Rovers in Dublin, appearing as a halftime substitute. He scored the lone goal in the club's 1:0 win, scoring in the 87th minute. On 24 August, Benzema netted two goals in Real Madrid's 4:0 victory over Norwegian club Rosenborg in an annual friendly tournament organized for the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy. The goals brought his total tally in the preseason with Real Madrid to five, making him the joint top scorer alongside fellow striker Raúl.

Benzema appeared as a half-time substitute for Djibril Cissé and scored the only goal of the match after a free-kick from Nasri. On 13 October, Benzema scored a double in a 6:0 win against the Faroe Islands. After appearing regularly in the team for the rest of the 2007–08 season, he was named to the 23-man squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2008.

Giroud: My goal is also important

The French striker Olivier Giroud hide positive emotions after his team rescued a draw in a World Cup qualifying match against Spain.

«I feel great satisfaction. A reciprocal goal earned the whole team because we fought until the end. For me personally, this goal is also important because it will silence my critics that have appeared lately. Spain remains a favorite of the group, but we can be an irritant for them,» - said the footballer.

Sergio Ramos is ready to play against France

Spain national team Defender Sergio Ramos is ready to go out on the field at home against World Cup 2014 qualifying, with the national team of France.

Earlier, Ramos was forced to miss the team's first training session after the victory with a score of 4:0 over Belarus because of muscle problems. Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque in Minsk was forced to replace Ramos on 71 minutes, later explaining that he decided to rest players ahead of the game with France.

At the last training session before the confrontation with the «Tricolour» Ramos worked at full force and participated in all drills.

Zidane: I hope one day I will be at the head of the French national team

The legendary French midfielder Zinedine Zidane has said that he hopes to become the next head coach of the France team.

«I hope one day I will be at the head of the French national team. It would mean a lot to me,» - said the 40-year-old Zidane.

Zidane during his playing career, participated in 108 matches and scored 31 goals for the national team of France, where he won both the European Championship and the World Championship.

Note also that Zidane was a three-time world footballer of the year by FIFA (1998, 2000, 2003).

Italy will take France in Parma

Italy will take France in an upcoming friendly match on November 14 in Parma. In a conversation with journalists, said the President of the Italian Football Federation, Giancarlo Abete.

The last time Italy and France played against each other in the group stage of the European Championship, 2008. The meeting, held in Swiss Zurich ended in victory for the Italian team with a score 2:0, and the goals were scored by Andrea Pirlo converted a penalty kick and Daniele de Rossi.

Saint Etienne hold a match without spectators due to the use of pyrotechnics fans

Saint Etienne will match the 30th round of the championship of France against the Nice with no spectators. French Professional Football League club thus punished for his repeated use of pyrotechnics fans. 

"In France there are laws. As soon as someone starts to ignore them, they riskbeing punished. I think that in all of this to blame a small group of fans, but because they are punished, and all other people, including fans of the alternative organizations. Because they suffer and their comrades in the fan group, and other supporters and the club, which pays for all these fines. 

In season-1990/91 when I was captain of the Toulouse. We came to support a group of fans. Fire zagorelispryamo on the bus, were victims. This is dangerous. The ban is afireball causes"- quoted by Christoph Galt, head coach of the Saint Etienne , AFP.

Football Genius: Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane  (born 23 June 1972) is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation  of French players that won the 1998 World Cup  and 2000 European Championship. After a brief international retirement, he returned to the national team in 2005 and captained France to the 2006 World Cup Final where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s most outstanding player. At club level Zidane won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus, an Intercontinental Cup, and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned sides. He is, alongside Brazilian striker Ronaldo, the only three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner; he also won the Ballon d’Or  in 1998. He retired from professional football after the 2006 World Cup. He currently holds the post of Real Madrid Director of Football, filling the spot previously held by Jorge Valdano.

Zidane is of Kabyle  Berber descent. His parents, Smaïl and Malika, emigrated to Paris from the village ofAguemone  in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylia in eastern Algeria, in 1953 before the start of the Algerian War. The family, which had settled in the city’s tough northern districts of Barbès and Saint-Denis, found little work in the region. So in the mid-1960s, they moved to the northern Marseille suburb of La Castellane where, on 23 June 1972, Zidane was born as the youngest of five siblings. Zidane’s father Smaïl worked as a warehouseman at a department store, often on the night shift, while his mother was a housewife. The family lived in so small a tower-block apartment in the housing complex that he, his parents, three brothers and one sister had to sit down to eat in shifts. Yet, due to his father’s steady job, the family lived a reasonably comfortable life by the standards of the neighbourhood, which was notorious throughout Marseille for its high crime and unemployment rates.

At the age of ten, Zidane got his first player’s license after joining the junior team of a local club from La Castellane by the name of US Saint-Henri. After spending a year and a half at US Saint-Henri, Zidane joined SO Septèmes Valons when the Septèmes coach Robert Centenero convinced the club’s Director to get Zidane. It was at La Castellane that Zidane had his earliest introduction to football, joining in at the age of five, in football games that the neighbourhood’s children played on the Place Tartane, an 80-by-12-yard plaza that served as the main square of the housing complex. In July 2011, Zidane named Blaž Slišković, Enzo Francescoli and Jean-Pierre Papin  as his idols while growing up

Zidane went to Cannes for a six-week stay, but ended up remaining at the club for four years to play at the professional level. Having left his family at the age of fourteen to join Cannes, the youngster was invited by Cannes director Jean-Claude Elineau, to leave the dormitory he shared with 20 other trainees and to come and stay with him and his family. Zidane later said that it was in living with the Elineaus that he found equilibrium.  Zidane stayed with Septèmes till the  of fourteen, at which time he was selected to attend a three-day training camp at the CREPS (Regional Centre for Sports and Physical Education) in Aix-en-Provence, one of several such footballing institutes run by the French Football Federation. It was here that Zidane was spotted by AS Cannes scout Jean Varraud who recommended him to the training center director of the club.

Zidane made his professional debut with Cannes on 18 May 1989 at the age of seventeen in a Ligue 1  match against Nantes. He scored his first goal for the club on 8 February 1991 also against Nantes in a 2–1 win. After the match during a party for all the Cannes players, Zidane was gifted a car by Cannes chairman Alain Pedretti, who had promised him one the day he scored his first goal for the club. In his first full season with Cannes, the club secured its first ever European football berth by qualifying for the UEFA Cup  after finishing 4th in the league. This remains the club’s highest finish in the top flight since getting relegated for the first time from the first division in the 1948–49 season. Zidane was transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux  in the 1992–93 season, winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup  and finishing runner-up in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup in four years with the club. He played a set of midfield combinations with Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, which would become the trademark of both Bordeaux and the 1998 French national team. In 1995, Blackburn Rovers  coach Ray Harford  had expressed interest in signing both Zidane and Dugarry, to which team ownerJack Walker  reportedly replied, ”Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood” In 1996, Zidane moved to UEFA Champions League winners Juventus  for a fee of £3.2 million and won the 1996–97 Serie A  and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup,  but lost the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund. The following season, Zidane netted 7 goals in 32 matches in the league to help Juventus win the 1997–98 Serie A  and thus retain the Scudetto. In Europe, Juventus made their third consecutive UEFA Champions League Final appearance, but lost the game 1–0 to Real Madrid, a club Zidane would later join. Juventus finished second in the 2000–01 Serie A, but were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League after Zidane was banned for head-butting Hamburger SV  player Jochen Kientz. However Zidane was named Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year for the second time.

While Zidane’s final season of club football ended trophyless, he enjoyed success on a personal note recording the maiden hat-trick of his career, scoring thrice against Sevilla FC in a 4–2 win in January 2006. He ended the season for Real Madrid as their second highest goal scorer and assists provider behind team-mates Ronaldo  and Beckham respectively, with 9 goals and 10 assists in 28 games. On 7 May 2006, Zidane, who had announced his plans to retire after the 2006 World Cup, played his last home match and scored in a 3–3 draw with Villarreal CF. The squad wore commemorative shirts with ZIDANE 2001–2006 below the club logo. In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for a then world record fee  of 150 billion Italian lire  (about €75 million) and signed a four-year contract. He scored a famous match-winning goal, a volley hit with his weaker foot, in Madrid’s 2–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen  in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final completing his personal quadruple. The next season, Zidane helped Real Madrid to win the 2002–03 La Liga and was named the FIFA World Player of the Year for the third time. In 2004, fans voted him as the best European footballer of the previous 50 years in UEFA’s fiftieth-anniversaryGolden Jubilee Poll.

Both France and Algeria consider Zidane a citizen, but he was ineligible to play for the Algerian national team. There was a rumour that coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied Zidane a position for the Algerian squad because he felt the young midfielder was not fast enough. However, Zidane dismissed the rumour in a 2005 interview, saying that he would have been ineligible to play for Algeria because he had already played for France.  He earned his first cap with France as a substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic  on 17 August 1994, which ended in a 2–2 draw after Zidane scored twice to help France erase a 2–0 deficit. After Éric Cantona was handed a year-long suspension in January 1995 for assaulting a fan, Zidane took over the playmaker position. France were eliminated in the  Euro 96 semi-finals in a penalty shootout  by the Czech Republic after the match ended 0–0 in extra time.

Zidane and France went on to play against defending champions and favourites Brazil at the Stade de France  in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. France dominated Brazil from the kick-off, with Zidane scoring two identical goals, both headers from corner kicks taken by Emmanuel Petit and Youri Djorkaeff. Courtesy of Zidane’s brace, France went into the break 2–0 up at half-time with one hand already on the World Cup trophy. Emmanuel Petit added a third goal deep in stoppage time to seal the 3–0 win and France’s first ever World Cup. Zidane became an instant national hero and his image was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe.

Two years later France won Euro 2000, becoming the first team to hold both the World Cup and the European Championship since West Germany in 1974. Zidane finished with two goals, a memorable free kick against Spain in the quarter final and the golden goal in the semi final against Portugal, and was named player of the tournament by UEFA. The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup that Zidane participated in. It was held in his home country France. The French team won all three games in the group stage but Zidane was sent off  in the second match against Saudi Arabia for a stamp on Fuad Anwar, becoming the first French player to receive a red card in a World Cup finals. Without their suspended playmaker France proceeded to win 1–0 in the last sixteen game against Paraguay  and, on his return to the side, defeated Italy  4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the quarter finals. France then defeated Croatia  2–1 in the semi final. Zidane played a major role in the team’s accomplishment, though he had yet to score a goal at the World Cup.

As reigning world and European champions, France entered the 2002 World Cup as favourites but a thigh injury prevented Zidane from playing in France’s first two matches and without their talisman the French team failed to score in either match. He was rushed back prematurely for the third game despite not being fully fit, but could not prevent France from being ignominiously eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single goal; the worst performance by a defending champion in the history of the competition.  At Euro 2004, France topped their group with wins over England and Switzerland, before being knocked out in the quarter finals by eventual champions Greece  in a surprise 1-0 loss. In the opening match against England, Zidane scored a free kick and penalty in stoppage time to turn defeat into a 2–1 victory for France. After France’s elimination Zidane announced his retirement from international football.

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