Zidane dons UEFA's Jubilee crown
Thursday 22 April 2004
Zinedine Zidane has been voted Europe's finest (©Getty Images)
Zinedine Zidane has been voted the No1 European footballer of the past 50 years, in UEFA's Jubilee poll to find the top 50 players of the last five decades.
Beckenbauer and Cruyff
Zidane, a FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship winner with France, as well as a UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid CF, polled 123,582 votes. Franz Beckenbauer was second on 122,569 and Johan Cruyff third with 119,332 votes.
Final 50
For all the background on the vote, plus a full list of the final 50, click here. And earlier this week, Zidane spoke to uefa.com about the possibility of winning this award, among other things.
uefa.com: What would you think if you were to win this award?
For me, football is everything. It was my biggest passion and something I always knew how to do best
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane: Just to be in the top 20 is touching, it's great. It is extraordinary to be voted one of the best European players of the past 50 years. I am a bit surprised, but I am very glad that people appreciate what we do on the pitch. I am bracketed with those players that have made a difference in the last 50 years and when you play football, this is the reason you do it. For me, football is everything. It was my biggest passion and something I always knew how to do best. Even today, practically at the end of my career, I enjoy playing football. It is a privilege.
uefa.com: Who is the No1 player in your eyes?
Zidane: For me there is Pelé and [Diego] Maradona, and after them many very, very good players: [Michel] Platini, [Franz] Beckenbauer, [Johan] Cruyff are more or less on the same scale. This is my opinion. Then there is also our generation where there are plenty of excellent players like Raúl [González] and [Luís] Figo.
uefa.com: When you made your debut for AS Cannes in the 1988/89 season, could you ever have imagined where you would be today, at one of the biggest clubs in the world?
Zidane: No, when I was young I could not have dreamt of having the career that I have had. But when I look back, I tell myself that I have done something good. I am very proud to have achieved success because of my parents and my family and the people who have believed in me. My life could have turned out differently, but I am glad I had this opportunity of a career in professional football, in sport. I am one of the privileged few - it is magnificent to be able to make a difference in the job that you love.
uefa.com: What do you think is the main reason for French clubs' success in European competition this season?
Zidane: French clubs have done what Spanish clubs did a few years ago. They have become more courageous and self-confident. I think they are on their way to understanding that they have the same quality as other European sides. Olympique Lyonnais and [AS] Monaco [FC] have shown us that this year. This is very good for French football, which has players of high quality and it is good to see them fighting their weight alongside the best European clubs.
uefa.com: Having played for Cannes, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Juventus FC and Madrid, what are the main differences between football in France, Italy and Spain?
Zidane: All have their special characteristics, but they all play technical football that people like to see. German and English football is different from Italian, Spanish or French. There are also different individual approaches to football in Spain, Italy and France, but their football styles in general resemble each other.
