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Player Duels is back again! This is the seventh instalment of this series in which I compare two players and ask all readers to leave a comment and vote who you think was the better player...

Player Duels: Zinedine Zidane Vs Michel Platini

by Barney (Senior Writer)

57

1,129 reads

History

August 24, 2008


Player Duels is back again! This is the seventh instalment of this series in which I compare two players and ask all readers to leave a comment and vote who you think was the better player.

You can find links to the others at the bottom of this page, where voting is still open.

Today's duel sees two of the greatest midfielders of all time go head to head, and France'a two best players ever: Zinedine Zidane v Michel Platini.

Both could do anything on a football pitch. Be that produce a 70 yard pass, a 35 yard shot, a magical free-kick or a piece of jaw-dropping skill. Platini put France as a major force in world football, Zidane restored that and picked up where Platini left off.

 

Zinedine Zidane

Quite simply, a genius. One of the most elegant and skillful players to have ever played the game, "Zizou" could literally do anything. He remains the most expensive player of all time when he moved to Real Madrid in 2001.

His greatest moment, however, came in 1998 when, in the World Cup final in France, he scored two headers in a 3-1 win over Brazil, giving France their first ever World Cup. However, perhaps his lowest moment came in another World Cup final when, in his very last action in professional football, he headbutted Marco Materazzi and received a red card.

His overall career statistics are 144 goals in 731 appearances. He played for four clubs in his career—Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid.

He also won 108 France caps, scoring 31 goals. He is one of only two players to have won the World Footballer of the Year award three times.

 

Michel Platini

Another elegant and skillful player, and another genius on the pitch, Platini was an expert at free-kicks, and was a deadly finisher. He almost single-handedly raised France to a major international footballing force.

His highest point was the 1984 European Championships where he dominated. He was named top scorer, best player, and France won their first major trophy. Platini is a three time Ballon d'Or winner, only one of three to have achieved that feat.

His overall career stas are 312 goals in 580 games, over a career including three clubs—Nancy, St. Etienne and Juventus. For France he appeared 72 times, scoring 41 goals.

 

So, ladies and gentlemen, who is your pick? Zinedine Zidane or Michel Platini? Remember anyone can vote, just leave a comment saying who you have picked.

 

Click here to see more duels by this author.

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57 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Barney 10 months ago

    Zinedine Zidane for me. He was simply a genius!

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  2. Yoosof Farah 10 months ago

    I'm going for Zidane. He was a great player and in my view was better than Platini. He was a world champion, he holds the record for the biggest transfer fee, and he scored two great headers in the 1998 world cup final. Shame his career came to such a bad end, that red card signalling the retirement of one the best players in the world. Also I don't like Platini as president of UEFA, so that's another reason why I'm voting for Zidane!

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  3. S B 10 months ago

    For me Zidane takes it cause he won the World Cup.

    This one is close though.

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  4. Zahi Sahli 10 months ago

    zidane because i never saw platini :)

    actually i think zidane is the best player in the last decade. dazzling skills and great creativity. terrific player.

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  5. Shyam Parthasarathi 10 months ago

    Same as Zahi... Zidane.

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  6. mark andrew 10 months ago

    Hey Barney you only went and forgot to mention THE best goal in Champions League history from Zidane , Real vs Bayer Leverkusen , The best volley technique ive ever seen .

    Platini was awesome ( as far as I know ) but ZZ is a Maestro .

    ZZ wins my vote

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  7. Benjamin Rogers 10 months ago

    Zidane, to put it simple one of the players who made a spectical of every game

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  8. Tlou Nkawana 10 months ago

    Zidane was awesome and i think anybody whoever saw him play could attest to that fact. He gave Fracnce what Platini failed to do which is the World Cup. So he is the best.

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  9. Myles Cameron 10 months ago

    ZZ wins it hands down.

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  10. Salaar Arshad Shamsi 10 months ago

    Zidane.

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  11. Salomon Gonzales 10 months ago

    Simply put its Zidane....

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  12. adam brooks 10 months ago

    zidane wins it no doubt

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  13. Barney 10 months ago

    We could be set for our first perfect duel from Zizou here! I thought Platini would put up more of a fight here. He once said "What Zidane can do with a ball, Maradona can do with an orange", so he didn't think as highly of Zidane as some people! I wonder if he wasn't such an idiot now if he would've got more votes!

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  14. Barney 10 months ago

    editor says zidane as well, thats 13-0!

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  15. Ismail Ayub 10 months ago

    Zidane because he isn't the idiotic president of UEFA who thinks that English Clubs are scum. =)

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  1. Ismail Ayub 10 months ago

    14-0

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  2. Zahi Sahli 10 months ago

    someone vote for platini!!! can i vote another time???? i'd vote platini lol.... :) make it 14-1 heheh

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  3. Jon Marum 10 months ago

    platini is an idiot as uefa president and altho zidane was undoubtdly one of the best players of my generation he went a long way to ruining that with his act of thuggery on the biggest stage of all...

    from what i remember of france 98 if ronaldo (the fat one who used to be good) hadnt of gone mental before the final brazil would have won. zidane was integral to the french world cup winning side but notin he same way maradona was for argentina in 86, I believe he actually missed some of the group stage matches an france managed ok

    platini literally ran the show at euro 84 - he scored two "perfect" hattricks and 9 goals in all in only 5matches... incredible

    so a somewhat controversial vote for platini here, plus zizou played for real madrid, and i dont like them lol

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  4. Al parker 10 months ago

    sory but thats not even a comparison, no doubt platini was an excellent player but nowhere close to zidanes status, zidane won aything that can be won by a football player. many ppl forget that but zidane made france qualify to world cup 06 after france were struggling to draw with cyprus! he went on to humiliate a great team like brazil single handed and took france to the final. France later without zidane ( exact team of 06) struggled to reach eurocup and were simply garbage. zidae can only be compared to pele or maradona. just tell me what didnt he attain ?
    Zidane is the da vinci of football

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  5. Isaac OPOKU 10 months ago

    zidane is the most skillful player in the world i am Isaac Opoku Anim in Ghana everybody in the world no that he is the best of all that is what i no and i no that everybody will follow me that he is the one ok bye i school at Ract Academy Scool in Ghana at lapez hong kong ok zidane i wish you all the best and i no that you are not a player again but the team that you are going to couch is going to be the best team of all i wish i will like to play your team because i a a very good player and i follow your steps of playing football and i can play like you vert well everybody in Ghana say`s that i play like you and i said yes because i follwed you step in playing football ok bye my e_mail address is opoku_sc@yahoo.com have nice day you can send me a reply in my e_mail box ok bye .........

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  6. Wa'el Mjalli 10 months ago

    Platini is one of the stars of the 80's! Great runs, beautiful skills, and a sharp free-kick taker!
    He did put France on the international level in 84. I admired him when I was a kid.

    Now, Zidane! Thats where I get short with words. Honestly, I do not find one word to give Zidane what he deserves. His record reads, WC 98, EC 00, CL 02, Italian and Spanish League, and Cup, plus many other less important championships. His personal record reads, 3-time FIFA world best player, 2-time 2nd, and 1-time 3rd. Thats 6 times on the biggest stage between 98 and 06!!! thats 8 seasons, and he managed to be on stage at the FIFA GALA 6 times! + Ballon D'Or.
    He scored 3 gaols in the WC finals. The best goal in CL history, and numerous jaw-dropping goals and moves of magic. He has humbled Brazil, considered best team in the world by many, on 3 occasions, twice in the WC. Especially the WC 06, he made the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldihno, Kaka and company, look like kids learning football at soccer camp.

    I might be biased towards Zidane, and have not lived Platini's days. however, the class and touch of magic that Zidane possess, just simply surpasses any player I have seen, or played with/against, since I played 3 years pro.

    So, my vote is for Zidane.

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  7. Bevan Bolland 10 months ago

    Zidane - mainly because I've never seen Platini play. Just clips of him.

    Oddly though, I've never really seen in Zidane what other people supposedly do. Dare I sayit... I think he may have been overrated. For some reason I just don't rate him as highly as I probably should.

    But he still wins my vote.

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  8. fawaz daniels 10 months ago

    berney corkhill says it best

    'Platini put France as a major force in world football, Zidane restored that and picked up where Platini left off.'

    anybody that likes peotry.

    zidane is poetry in motion.
    platini is mearly a nice quote.

    zidane all the way and beyond.

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  9. Haitham 10 months ago

    the duels should be between Zidane, Maradona, Pele and maybe Cruyff.

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  10. FAWWAZ AL-IRAQI 10 months ago

    Zidane the best player
    He use his brain in the game
    The best move is when zidane trick alot of player against brazil in world cup 2006
    The best goal is when he did volley technique in CHAMPION LEAUGE FINAL
    SO ZIDANE IS DA LEGEND

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  11. Zizou Zidane 10 months ago

    Even if you question who is the best between Zidane, Maradona, Pele, Cruyff, Di Stefano, Ronaldo I would say Zidane defenitly because as mentioned before he won every possible price there is, he led france to two WC finals and won one of them, unfortunately lost the other one because of the biggest cheaters in football world, he was utmost spectacular in every game he played, he was the only real two footed player, I have seen about 200 matches he played in, and not even once have i seen him cheating or diving. He was the only footballer who was in top form all through his career, whether u watch his first games or his last, he was there always leading the team to victories. I have a lot of respect for Michel Platini as well as he si one of my favourite player, but the only ability he had which was better than Zidane was his free kicks. Maradona didn't respect football and got involved in too many scandals, Pele cruyff and di stefano are all old players if they were to play together with zidane they wouldnt be anywhere near him, and ronaldo well yeah we all know what ronaldo has been doing the last few years, making fun of him self during matches thats all, where as he was one of the best during his early years.

    So yeah i would definitely say Zidane, not only for this but if u wanna compare him to any one at the end you will juust get one name Zizouuuu

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  12. keerthi kanth 10 months ago

    At the age of 34 ,zizou carried the france to the finals WC .Whereas so called greats maradona ,ronaldo are not even proper condition to play .The only player to be consistent throughout his carrer is zizou.

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    • Barney 10 months ago

      wow this seems to have truned into a contest between pele maradona cruyff ronaldo and zidane somehow! not sure zidane would win that one, but he is destroying platini here! 23-1!

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  13. Black Eyed 10 months ago

    Zinedine Zidane is the best player EVER...

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  14. Meskin Mru 9 months ago

    Platiny was great , Zidane was simply the best ...

    he started on a high , he was on top of the game all during his career till he retired.
    one of the most humble player , the magic tricks he did was never to humiliate another player , rather to create oportunies for his team , therefore , maybe he lacked in the free kick dept compared to platini ( mind you though , he did score some marvelous free kicks ) , he was a much better an complete player than platini.

    although he was right footed , he scored his most beatiful goals with his left foot .

    and if you want to compare him with pele of maradona ,

    well , maradona had only 6 years really on top before fading away , while pele ended his career in the states ,

    on a more personal level , just watch the comments made by any of them : platini , pele , maradona and zidane , and you get who's the most sensible of the lot.

    he may have been hot tempered , but then , taking his temper away , he wouldnt have been the genius he is .

    and btw , if you think he left in shame in 06 , well , just get back to when he came back against cyprus to help his struggling team to near glory .

    had zidane not been sent off in the finals , the throphy would have been most probably's france as the italians were tired deep in extra time and everyone could see they were praying for penalties.

    Zidane was the greatest player to have graced the beautiful game ,
    Zidane is magic !

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  15. mahdi zajmovic 7 months ago

    zidane

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  1. Ibrahim HANNOUN 6 months ago

    undoubtedly, the duel has to be between, for instance: Maradona and Zidane or Zidane vs pele but not between platoche(platini) and zizou, cause frankly the fame of platini is built solely in french memories, it was the French press that made this latter great and since most french are thankless, one question: who made the french merry, cheerful and optimistic? Zidane or platini and thanks to whom the french football is famous worldwide, come on men. if for french, platini is considered the king of football, zizou is god. the french have tried to sabotage him on several occasions, but since he is a wizard and a genius in football, his fame is well deserved worldwide. to end my comments
    platini is famous in france but zizou is known worldwide.

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  2. Jamie Hughes 6 months ago

    never saw platini, so my vote goes to zizou, absolute genious, although im sure platini was a pretty handy player aswell.

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