ZIDANE'S MEMENTO MORI ONLY HIGHLIGHTS HIS TALENT

Football journalists and fans all around the globe beat their chests in collective grief at the retirement of the most gifted player of his generation. The question that was being hotly debated was whether or not Zizou's "Moment Of Madness (tm)" during the 2006 World Cup Final in Berlin would cast a shadow on his illustrious career, and become all that is he is remembered for.

Even from a young age, it is worth noting that the playmaker has always been more highly strung that people perceive. As a callow 17 year old regular for Cannes, he would often vomit onto the pitch during matches, an unfortunate habit that he has since learned to mostly control. Indeed, it is a testament to his talent that he achieved what he did during his career despite having a nervous temperament. The public perception of Zinedine Zidane was that of a devastating number 10 with ice cold blood in his veins. As his venomous headbutt to Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final showed, nothing was further from the truth.

Until the World Cup in 1998, there had been doubts over the validity of comparing Zidane to that other famous French number 10, Michel Platini. Although Zidane had won league titles, he had not picked up any trophies in European competition, the benchmark by which truly great players are judged. After losing the UEFA Cup final with Bordeaux in 1996 and the Champions League finals with Juventus in 1997 and 1998, Zidane had been labelled as a loser when it really mattered. And then came his two goal performance in a 3-0 win over Brazil on home soil in the 1998 World Cup final. Having helped the French to a first ever World Cup win, the loser tag was removed, and his talent acknowledged. But that tournament was also privy to the darker side of Zidane's psyche, when he stamped on Saudi Arabia's captain Fuad Amin and received a two match ban. Up until the final his performances for Les Bleus had been ordinary, although he did score his kick in the penalty shootout win over Italy in the quarter finals.

Euro 2000 saw a Zidane at the peak of his powers. He scored a sublime free-kick in the 2-0 win over Spain in the quarter finals, and then an extra-time golden goal penalty against Portugal in the semis. France then beat Italy in the final to become the first team since West Germany in 1976 to be crowned both World and European champions at the same time. In the 2000/2001 season, his technically perfect volley from a Roberto Carlos cross gave Real Madrid their 9th Champions League.

The poor performances from Les Bleus , and Zidane in particular, during the World Cup in 2002 was the first step onto a downward slope for Zidane. Years of niggling injuries and attention from some of the toughest defenders in Italy and Spain had taken the toll on the midfielder. When one adds the soap opera surrounding Real Madrid and the galactico transfer policy into the equation, it is not hard to understand why Zidane lost form. The mind was willing, but the body no longer able to match his quickness of thought. Never the most explosive of players, what little pace he possessed had disappeared, and he appeared to be struggling in games that he would have previously dominated. After Euro 2004 (where Zizou did score two last gasp goals to help France beat England 2-1), where France lost to the eventual winners Greece, Zidane retired from international football in an effort to prolong his career.

Without Zidane, France struggled in their qualifying group for the World Cup in Germany. Media and fan pressure grew and Zidane (along with Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele) resurrected his international career to help the national team limp over the finishing line and qualify for Germany. The rest is common knowledge.

Looking back over Zidane's career, the overwhelming impression is that of an immensely talented player, who nonetheless should have achieved more. An individual of startling technical ability, Zidane was not a team player in the mould of, say, Platini. With his dark temper, he had much more in common with Maradona as player, which is no small compliment! The casual ugliness of his headbutt on Materazzi only emphasises the beautiful elegance of his play when he had the ball at his feet.