Zinedine Zidane Quotes

My father is an Algerian, proud of who he is and I am proud that my father is Algerian.

Ronaldinho is a special player, but Thierry Henry is probably technically the most gifted footballer ever to play the beautiful game.

Zidane is probably the best player there has been in the past 20 years ... France have recovered the best Zidane and they have progressively grown throughout this tournament.

It's hard to explain but I have a need to play intensely every day, to fight every match hard. And this desire never to stop fighting is something else I learnt in the place where I grew up.

The England team must always be respected. They always fight to the end.

Zidane is unique. The ball flows with him. He is more like a dancer than a football player.

The French team has given me so much and I want to help it. I told myself I did not have much time left in soccer, and I want to profit from it to the maximum.

It's true, pressure is something that goes with football nowadays. You need to accept it, and everything that it involves - the good and the bad.

Zidane was from another planet. When Zidane stepped onto the pitch, the 10 other guys just got suddenly better. It is that simple.

I am first of all from La Castellane and Marseille.

Music was important. Football was the easy part.

It's the first time it's happened to me and maybe the last. It's a strange sensation, not normal for me. I can't remember scoring three goals, even when I was a kid.

When your own fans whistle and jeer, then you have a big problem.

A Mediterranean city is really my culture.

Sometimes words are harder than blows.

I have never had the opportunity to play in England, so I know little about it.

I have a need to play intensely every day, to fight every match hard.

I may have had a lot of luck in my life, but I still need to find a challenge in the game.

We must not let ourselves get driven off course, no matter what happens we must stick to our natural game.

To be recognised by a whole country is incredible.

I love Madrid. I am happy to be here. I have been here three years and hope to be here longer. But I am proud of where I come from and never forget the people I grew up with.

I have won many awards and I am very happy about this, but I am not the best player in the world.

I reached this level by sheer dint of hard work, toiling away at scores of tricks and experiments. I used to play with the ball from dawn till dusk and just kept practising. If I wasn't playing matches, it was trying out one on one or two against two with a tennis ball. Then I used to try aiming at certain targets. That's the only way to learn. And if I missed the target, I kept trying until I scored

You don't need a reason to help people.

I have decided to come back for Les Bleus.

Everything Iniesta does impresses me. He could even play as goalkeeper. He's magical.

Zidane is one of the greatest players in history, a truly magnificent player.

The door can never be closed for good to any player.

Real Madrid is the most important thing that happened to me, both as a footballer and as a person.

Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or demon. He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer.

I don't know if we are the best team in the world. I am lucky to be playing alongside some of the best players around. It's a dream.

It was my father who taught us that an immigrant must work twice as hard as anybody else, that he must never give up.

If Giggs was French, Pires or myself would have been on the bench.

My passion for the game comes from the city of Marseille itself. Unfortunately I can't go back there as much I want to because I play a lot here and abroad.

Football boots are very technical and have lots of specific requirements.

Messi makes the difference most of the time. In particular, he is always going forwards. He never passes the ball backwards or sideways. He has only one idea, to run towards the goal.So as a football fan, just enjoy the show.

Mandela has played a crucial part in history. He's done some extraordinary things, not only for his country but also for the whole world.

It's only natural to want to select your best players and there is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He's almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play.

It will be a physical encounter but we must not respond in kind.

My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.

Everything I have achieved in football is due to playing football in the streets with my friends

Life is full of regrets, but it doesn't pay to look back.

Messi is the Mozart of football.

I have always said the French team is the most important thing that has happened to me. I thought deeply about it and I want to play for France again.

We are well aware of the task ahead of us in what will be a very difficult match but which we all dream of playing.

You can't get bored of winning. You can win 10 games in a row but you keep the same will to snatch the 11th. You always need more.

The only important thing I have to say is that my father never fought against his country.

There was huge pressure, especially before the big games. Not many people believed in us, but we believed in ourselves. We wanted to do something good and we did.

If you are determined and confident, there is nothing in this great existence that can stop you from achieving what you want.

I have no message.

In France, everybody realized that God exists, and that he is back in the French international team. God is back, there is little left to say.

There are evil people, and I don't even want to hear those guys speak.