Zidane retires from international stage

[marcl_19]

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story.asp?id=94553

Zidane retires from international stage

Associated Press

8/12/2004

PARIS (AP) - French star Zinedine Zidane announced his retirement from international soccer Thursday.

The departure of Zidane, the leader of a golden generation of French soccer, marks the end of a era and follows the retirements of teammates Lilian Thuram, Bixente Lizarazu and Marcel Desailly.

"I carefully thought through this decision. I think at a certain moment, one has to say, 'Stop,'" Zidane said in a statement on his website.

The 32-year-old midfielder, named FIFA world player of the year three times, will continue to play club soccer for Real Madrid until his contract with the Spanish giant expires in 2007.

Zidane led France to victory in the 1998 World Cup by scoring twice in the final against Brazil, cementing his place in French sports history.

In 2000, he starred again as France won the European Championship for the second time in its history.

"It's not easy to stop after 10 years full of highs and lows . . . especially highs, but my hour has come," he said. "It's the end of a cycle."

He made his debut a decade ago and played 93 times for the national team, scoring 26 goals, and also captained the team 11 times. He lost only seven matches in his international career.

But since 2002 and France's shock exit at the World Cup, where the team did not score a goal, Zidane had been mulling over his future.

"It had been floating around in my head for a while," he said. "Things changed after the 2002 World Cup and the Euro (2004) confirmed this.

"I did not feel ready to give myself for another two years leading up to the (2006) World Cup," he added. "The French team wants to open a new page with new players."

France's new coach Raymond Domenech visited Zidane recently in Madrid, but was unable to persuade him to stay.

"It's sad, I told him like most French people that I preferred him to continue," Domenech told reporters Thursday, prior to announcing his squad to face Bosnia-Herzegovena in next week's friendly.

"He listened to my arguments, but decided to leave the way for young players to express themselves. It's regrettable, but I accept it," Domenech said. "A new page has been turned."

Domenech, meanwhile, announced the members of the team that will face Bosnia-Herzegovena.

The team includes six players who are to make their first appearance for France: Eric Abidal of Olympique Lyonnais, Patrice Evra of AS Monaco, Gael Givet of AS Monaco, Alou Diarra of RC Lens, Rio-Antonio Mavuba of FCG Bordeaux, and Pierre-Alain Frau of Olympique Lyonnais.

From the '98 world champion team, only goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and midfielder Patrick Vieira remain.

Domenech expects Vieira to become the leader in the French team and oversee a smooth transitition with the young generation coming through.

"Vieira will be the boss, the centre of our team," Domenech said. "He is our biggest general. I await a total investment from him. I know he can do it."

France's new-look team begins 2006 World Cup qualifying with a home group match against Israel on Sept. 4 at Stade de France.

The French national stadium became Zidane's favoured playground over the years. Whenever he played there, something magical seemed to happen.

"The idea of never seeing Zidane wearing the blue shirt again is unbearable," l'Equipe said in an editorial.

In the first ever match at Stade de France, Zidane scored the winner against Spain in Jan. 1998. His two headed goals against Brazil offered France its first World Cup title and secured Zidane's place in French folklore.

His face was flashed up onto the Arc de Triomphe as millions took to the Champs-Elysees in Paris chanting "Zizou, Zizou." He won France Football magazine's illustrious Golden Ball award in 1998.

Altogether, he played 22 matches at the stadium, scoring 10 times, including wonderful strikes against Germany and Scotland.

As somewhat of a france supporter(im part french) this is a big dissapointment. He's simply the best player in the world (ok some maybe argue with that, but i still believe it!)

Big losses for france, Especially him, and thuram. Desailly has definitly seen his better days pass and is not what he used to be.

I guess the obvious replacement as skipper would be Viera.

[frostman]

Most of his peers agree Vieira is a great captain. He probably the best ball winner in the world, and is also a great set-up man. Not too flashy, but a great starting point when assembling a team. He is both the first line of defense and the first line of attack. He also has winning experience, and experience as a captain.

Too bad to see Zidane go. I don't have any connection to France at all, but I really respect their soccer development system and the skill of their players (as well as the high Arsenal content on their Nat Team.)

[Free kick]

If you were to ask me to quickly name who I thought was the best player that I saw in my lifetime, Zidane's name would be the first that would come to mind. Not only did he have a reputation but he also delivered the goods in the games that counted most. Platini was equally hearalded in his time, but when the WC came around every four years, he did not delivery performances to the same extent as Zizou. Prior to canada's game versus france in 1986, I thought that there would no way for our side could contain Platini for a full 90. But as it turned out, he looked like any other guy on the pitch in that game. What would have Zidane done against that Canadian team? I suppose Maradona would also come to mind, but he was such a jerk. Others who also impressed me ( off hand): Lothar Mattheus, Zico, Roberto baggio.

[frostman]

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

If you were to ask me to quickly name who I thought was the best player that I saw in my lifetime, Zidane's name would be the first that would come to mind. Not only did he have a reputation but he also delivered the goods in the games counted most. Platini was equally hearalded in his time, but when the WC came around every four years, he did not deleivery performances to the same extent as Zizou. Prior to canada's game versus france in 1986, I thought that there would no way for our side could contain Platini for a full 90. But as it turned out, he looked like any other guy on the pitch in that game. What would have Zidane done against that Canadian team? I suppose Maradona woudl also come to mind, but he was such a jerk. Others who also impressed me ( off hand): Lothar Mattheus, Zico, Roberto baggio.

As far as the best ever, my dad always rattles on about a Hungarian guy in the fiftees that played for Real - Puskas. He always says that this guy was deadly with his left and that when he didn't even have the ball, other teams would still rotate around him. I'll do a little research and find out more.

here:Ninety minutes later Hungary had slaughtered England 6-3. They were the first foreign team to inflict defeat on England at Wembley. And what a defeat. It wasn't just the score. The style of football played by the Magnificent Magyars might as well have come from another planet. England, self-styled masters of the game, were humiliated.

The "little fat chap" was Ferenc Puskas, the Hungarian captain. Indeed, he was an odd looking footballer. He was short, stocky, barrel-chested, overweight, couldn't head and only used one foot.

Yet no one in Britain had seen ball skills like his as he inspired a performance that completely demolished England's reputation as a world football power.

Puskas was known as the Galloping Major, a reference to the fact that he was an army officer playing for an army team. Later, when he was exiled in Spain, he became known as the little canon. For that one foot, his left, packed such a thunderbolt shot that he scored 83 goals in 84 internationals and he remains the only player to have scored four goals in a European Cup Final.

Tom Finney, who watched England's woe from the Wembley stands, spoke for everyone when he said: "I came away wondering to myself what we had been doing all these years."

A few months later he found out the hard way. Finney was selected for the team to play the return match in Budapest. Puskas and Co did it again . . but this time they inflicted a 7-1 drubbing on England.