The One Man Zinedine Zidane Could Not Conquer

(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

But this was a special night for Zidane; Materazzi must have said something extremely offensive to upstage him.

Following days of media speculation, Zidane broke his silence: Materazzi had insulted his mother and sister.

That be as it may, Zidane’s moment of madness was simply inexcusable. For this fan however, though inexcusable, it was understandable.

Zidane so far had struck down every obstacle that stood in his way, and this occasion would be no different.

He had struck down pompous Spain and mighty Brazil. He put a screeching halt to Scolari’s record run by vanquishing his indomitable goalkeeper, Ricardo.

And now, Zidane would strike down a challenge of a different breed: indignity.

He squared up to the man whose nasty reputation as a bone-crunching firebrand superseded him, the man notorious for enkindling fear and intimidation in the hearts of his rivals.

The son of immigrants from la Castellane struck him down and stood tall. He struck down the man who had offended the women of his family.

But like a Greek melodrama, that was only half the story. Zidane did defeat Materazzi, but in the process, the real culprit eluded him once more.

Zidane is reported to have described himself as a “non-practising Muslim.” That of course is a personal choice that I can only respect. But on that one occasion, I could not help but wish that he had heeded at least one important Hadith—advice of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Prophet Muhammad warned his companions, “The strongest man among you is not he who can subdue others, but he who can subdue himself in a moment of anger.”

As Zidane walked off the pitch, he took one final look behind him. I can only imagine what must have been going through his head.

For that moment, time must have stood still.

There was the magnificent grotesque stadium teeming with seventy six thousand roaring fans and there were the hundreds of camera lenses bringing in a billion more. There were the blinding lights and the thousands of waving flags. There were his peers ready to resume battle without him.

This was it. This was the last moment.

He looked at what he would leave behind him forever. He walked past the World Cup trophy, not so much as glancing at it, though ever-conscious of its presence, as it lay so close within reach yet so far. He walked down the steps making his way towards the tunnel. Thinking he was finally out of view though still within scope of one camera, he unleashed a tear.

He would walk into the dressing room to face the only man in the world he still could not conquer: the temperamental Zinedine Zidane.

Life After Zidane

I try to take something positive out of what really was a traumatic experience for me. I am a diehard fan of Zizou, and will remain so forever. It broke my heart to see one of football’s most decorated legends end his career on such a sour note- especially taking into consideration how close he got to ending it in flying colors.

Indeed, Zidane’s tragedy does provide a powerful lesson in life: never take your success for granted; the difference between the height of glory and the depth of shame can be a single moment of folly.

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