Top > Sport > 2006 > April > 2006-04-28

Zidane Will End His Career after World Cup

Zinedine Zidane, the acclaimed Real Madrid CF and France midfielder, made public this week that he will end his football career at the upcoming FIFA World Cup finals. Zidane said that his made his decision, and that he needs to "listen to my body," as he said. The 33-year-old player realizes that he won`t be able to carry another year of professional football.

Zidane returned to action with Les Bleus in August 2005 a year after quitting international football, but this time, he said, there was no chance of a change of heart. "I needed to make it public in order to completely focus on the World Cup with France. It will be my last challenge and I did not want it to be polluted by questions on my future. This time I can say it is definitive, I`ll stop playing as a professional. Maybe later I`ll play as an amateur. But my career is over."

Zidane was voted the best European player of the previous 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll of 2004. He has been selected as FIFA World Player of the Year on three occasions and won the Ballon D`Or as European Footballer of the Year in 1998. That year he starred as France lifted the World Cup, scoring twice in the final victory against Brazil in Paris. He also won UEFA EURO 2000? with France and struck a stunning decisive goal as Madrid defeated Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final. In addition he claimed two Italian titles with Juventus and one Spanish championship as well as the UEFA Super Cup in 1996.