A version of this piece was published in 2020. It has been updated to run as part of our special World Cup: Reconsidered series…

This is a series re-assessing famous individual or team performances in World Cup history. Some will be legendary displays by established world-class players or performances that fell short, others will be once-in-a-lifetime cameos that have nevertheless gone down in folklore.

Advertisement

It’s easy to look back on historic matches through rose-tinted spectacles or to revise our memories of particular performances based on what came afterwards. A second look at such games from a greater distance can be revealing.

Today, we revisit Zinedine Zidane’s display for France in their 2006 World Cup quarter-final win over holders Brazil…

Why this game?

This tie is often cited as the most concise summary of Zidane’s brilliance, when he dominated a game on the highest stage.

What was the context?

Zidane had said he was retiring from all football after this World Cup.

We’ve become accustomed to players announcing they are stepping away from the international game following a major tournament, then spending their final years as a professional concentrating on their club career. Not Zidane.

He had already retired from international football after Euro 2004, then reversed that decision on the condition he would be deployed in his favoured central role rather than from the left. But his Real Madrid form had been extremely patchy over the previous couple of seasons, and Zidane decided he’d had enough.

About to turn 34, he’d grown tired of falling below the standard he desired, both because of his physical limitations and Madrid’s increasingly shambolic approach to tactics. “It’s been two years now that I haven’t been playing like I want to,” he explained when justifying his decision to retire from the game completely.

He had a contract at Madrid until 2007 but was so underwhelmed by his own performances he decided to depart a year early.

A World Cup was a fitting finale, though.

Zidane often felt like an international footballer more than a club footballer; he endured several disappointing campaigns with both Juventus and Madrid, but his form tended to recover on the international stage. You think of Zidane wearing No 10, but it was only for France where he wore that shirt, having worn No 21 for Juventus, and No 5 for Madrid.

Advertisement

This was unquestionably the most eagerly anticipated of the 2006 quarter-finals — it was a meeting of the sides who had won the previous three World Cups combined. It was Zidane against Brazil for the first time since his two headed goals won the host nation the 1998 World Cup final.

Whoever won this game would be favourites to win the whole thing — of the other sem-finalists, plucky hosts Germany had surprisingly defeated Argentina, Italy progressed past Ukraine but hadn’t truly been tested, and Portugal hadn’t been particularly impressive in progressing past 10-man England on penalties after a goalless draw.

France themselves had laboured through an easy group, finishing second behind Switzerland, before two late goals brought a 3-1 win over Spain in the round of 16, with Zidane scoring the third in added time. Neither he nor Thierry Henry had been at their best — Patrick Vieira and Franck Ribery had been their liveliest players.

Brazil had won all four matches, albeit without having been pushed seriously.

Significantly, their coach Carlos Alberto Parreira made a major tactical change for the France game. Having previously used the “magic square” of Kaka and Ronaldinho behind Ronaldo and Adriano, he brought in defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva for Adriano and moved to more of a 4-3-3, or 4-3-2-1.

The reason for Gilberto’s introduction was obvious: he was there to shackle Zidane, as he had done effectively in Arsenal’s 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg victory at the Bernabeu a few months earlier.

As you probably already know, ultimately this wouldn’t be Zidane’s final game in football, but it would be the last World Cup match played by the likes of Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and — most surprisingly — a then 26-year-old Ronaldinho.

What was his best moment?

Zidane’s best contribution comes in the first minute.

Advertisement

Collecting a loose ball in the middle of the pitch, he traps it to suck in two opposition midfielders, Ze Roberto and Juninho, then backheels it to turn past both. Dribbling towards goal, he approaches Gilberto, then gives him a stepover and changes direction as he goes by him.

Parreira beefed up the centre of the pitch in an attempt to stop Zidane and yet he has dribbled past all three Brazil midfielders within 40 seconds of kick-off.

Was he as good as we remember?

It is a wonderful display of technique and grace, right from the outset (see above).

Throughout his career, Zidane wasn’t at his best when shooting, or passing, or even dribbling, but simply when controlling the ball.

If Henry was best when receiving the ball wide-left, Lionel Messi best when presented with crowded bodies on the edge of the box or Cristiano Ronaldo best with a ball hung up to the far post, Zidane was best when a seemingly wayward ball was dropping in his general direction.

Here, on 12 minutes, he kills a high ball beautifully, almost without moving.

Our freeze-frame perfectly illustrates the balletic beauty of Zidane.

Later, he takes a bouncing ball, launches a counter-attack which leaves Cafu and Gilberto hopelessly hacking in his general direction, and slips in Vieira.

Gilberto often can’t get near him, not merely because of Zidane’s trickery, but because of his physique and ability to shield the ball. Later, in midfield, he lofts the ball over the head of club team-mate Ronaldo, then casually heads it out to Eric Abidal.

It’s little touches like that which make Zidane’s best matches so memorable.

There’s the whole range of Zidane tricks and he’s particularly expressive when France are 1-0 ahead.

There’s a double turn between the lines, not to evade his marker but simply to slow the game and control the tempo. There’s a classic “roulette” past Gilberto which gets an “Olé!” from the crowd. There’s a drag-back and then a chip in the general direction of Willy Sagnol.

Zidane is focused on showing off, on doing what looks and feels impressive, rather than necessarily playing the right passes at the right time.

What might we have forgotten?

For an attacking midfielder who played between the lines and played with a succession of top-class forwards, Zidane wasn’t particularly effective at hitting a delicate ball in behind a defence.

Advertisement

That is obvious three times within the first 10 minutes of this game as he plays three alarmingly bad passes intended for Henry.

And yes, while things are very much simpler when watching at home and criticising Zidane’s technique seems heresy, here goes…

The first also comes inside the first minute, after the aforementioned bit of skill to avoid all three Brazil midfielders. Zidane neglects to play a simple through ball between defenders for Henry and instead tries a remarkably ambitious chip over the top, which Lucio gets his head to and it runs through to goalkeeper Dida.

This could have been a much easier pass. Henry looks annoyed.

Two minutes later, after Lucio has dribbled forward and lost possession, Zidane has another chance to release Henry into space.

Cafu — who, a little sadly, looks woefully short of the required speed to defend properly throughout this game at the age of 36 — would have been panicking had Zidane sidefooted a simple pass to Henry, in his usual position on the left touchline. Instead, he tries an overcomplicated outside-of-the-boot pass, miscues it horribly, and the ball goes in completely the wrong direction.

Henry looks annoyed again.

And then, when Zidane collects the ball on the left touchline and has the opportunity to launch it over the top for Henry, who is making a run from an inside-right position, again he plays completely the wrong pass. He should be looking for a drifted ball over the defence, instead he pings it with far too much power and the pass bounces through to Dida.

By this stage, Henry looks like he’s losing hope of ever receiving a delivery he can work with.

Zidane would play the assist on Henry’s winner just before the hour, though, his deep free kick volleyed home at the far post.

It is a curiously simple goal that comes from a situation that developed throughout the game — Brazil were playing a very dangerous, disorganised offside trap at wide free kicks. On this occasion, Roberto Carlos crouches down at the far post, never really straightens back up, and Henry just jogs past him.

But Zidane assisting Henry was an anomaly; the two never developed a good on-field relationship. It was his second and final assist for the former Arsenal striker; the first came from a simple short pass on the halfway line against Denmark at Euro 2000, which Henry took, dribbled with for 50 yards and then finished into the far corner for his trademark goal. Neither assist demonstrated genuine understanding between the pair.

Advertisement

Henry found Zidane frustrating to play with — he had been disappointed by the midfielder’s return from international retirement in the first place — and the first 10 minutes of this match demonstrate why.

An attacking midfielder less focused on showmanship but more assured in terms of passing (an obvious example would be Cesc Fabregas, as he was playing with Henry at club level at this time) might have created three chances for him with these passes. Zidane’s attempts to do so all went astray.

What happened next?

Zidane remained centre stage. He settled the semi-final four days later, scoring from the penalty spot 33 minutes into what turned out to be a 1-0 victory over Portugal.

Then, in the final against Italy, we saw what was perhaps the most famous — or infamous — individual display of all time.

It was incredible enough that he chose to attempt a Panenka penalty on that stage — his seventh-minute shot bounced off the bar and only just crossed the line — and later, having nearly buried a header to put France 2-1 ahead in stoppage time, he ended his career in incredible circumstances, headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest and being dismissed with 10 minutes of extra time to play.

His lone walk past the World Cup trophy was the final time he was seen on the pitch as a player.

(Main graphic — photos: Getty Images/design: Sam Richardson)