The world watched Zinedine Zidane lose his cool at last year's World Cup. (Lars Baron/Getty Images).
Soccer: John F. Molinaro
Please say it ain't so, Zizou
Last Updated Friday, March 2, 2007
by John F. Molinaro
Oh mon Dieu!
Earlier this week, Zinedine Zidane set off a media firestorm at a charity soccer match in Thailand when he brushed off questions by a throng of reporters who asked him whether he was planning to come out of retirement.
There has been growing speculation over the past few months that Zidane, a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, was considering following in the footsteps of former Real Madrid teammate David Beckham by signing a lucrative contract with a club in Major League Soccer.
Ever since Zidane was spotted courtside chatting with Spike Lee at a New York Knicks game last month, American soccer fans have been salivating at the prospect of Zizou plying his trade on U.S. soil, a possibility that he didn't categorically shoot down in Thailand.
The former French midfielder repeatedly refused to answer questions about his future plans, and when reporters kept badgering him, a member of his entourage warned them the Frenchman would get up and leave if that line of questioning continued.
"I've found a new world after retirement," insisted Zidane. "I'm very excited to experience new things such as playing in this match."
The chances of Zidane signing with a MLS club seem slim at this point because teams are halfway through completing their training camps and the season starts in a month, but stranger things have happened - such as Beckham giving Real Madrid the cold shoulder for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Looking back at his career today, one can declare with a great deal of confidence that Zidane was one of the greatest to ever play the game. Zidane wasn't quite on the same level as Pele and Maradona, but his rightful place alongside the likes of Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas in soccer's pantheon can't be denied.
All of which leads to the obvious question: why would Zidane consider coming out of retirement to play in MLS?
It could be because Zidane, who retired after last year's World Cup final, wants to repair what he believes is his tainted and tarnished reputation.
When we last saw Zidane, the Frenchman lost his cool by headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest in Berlin. Zidane earned a red card and France went on to lose to Italy in a penalty shootout.
By losing his head (literally) on the biggest stage in sports in front of a global audience, Zidane was painted as a villain and blamed for costing France the game.
But despite Zidane's questionable actions - and let's face it folks, Materazzi had it coming - the Frenchman's headbutt on the Italian could hardly take anything away from what was a remarkable career.
Zidane was much more than a soccer player. He was an artist, capable of creating magic every time he stepped onto the field.
A pirouette with the ball glued to his foot, a smashing volley thundered into the roof of the net, a gazelle-like run through the midfield leaving a trail of defenders in his wake - these were the trademarks of a very special player.
At 34 years of age, though, many believed Zizou was on his last legs and incapable of inspiring France at last year's World Cup.
Of course, he proved them wrong.
Zidane turned back the clock in Germany by pulling out all of the tricks from his awesome repertoire and by playing his best soccer in years, inspiring memories of his two-goal performance against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup finals when he led France to victory.
That he momentarily lost his head in Berlin in one of sports' greatest mental meltdowns does not diminish or lessen the value of what he accomplished during his career.
But if Zidane feels compelled to go to the U.S. to try to repair his image, he needn't bother. He doesn't have to dribble around players in MLS as if they were pylons - he already did that at the highest level of the sport with Juventus, Real Madrid and the French national team.
S'il vous plait, Monsieur Zidane: don't cheapen your legacy by coming to the U.S. and becoming a circus act.
Enjoy your retirement and be secure in the knowledge of your place in soccer lore.
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