My romance with the football World Cup ignited when Torsten Frings curled to make it four for Germany. It was 2006, I was young, but old enough to feel the hype. From every sphere of society, churches, school—even my Grade 2 teacher, a relatively old lady in her 50s—everyone was giving World Cup references nonstop.
Though I had watched plenty of football with my uncles, particularly Manchester United, this was different. The World Cup was something special… Every night we were all gathered in the lounge, glued to our 14-inch LG TV at the center of the room divider.
And the hype was really worth it. The Ronaldos, Luca Toni, Ronaldinho, Beckham, all the stars showed up to play some scintillating football. It kept us on the edge of our seats. But one man really caught the eye, and I was amazed by his ability on the football pitch. That guy was Zinedine Zidane. The French playmaker donning the #10 carried the whole side on his back. Yes, they also had excellent players in their arsenal, the likes of Henry, Ribéry and Viera, but Zizou stood out.
It was the game vs. Brazil where he sealed his place in my heart. Brazil were the defending champions and their side was loaded with star power. From captain Cafu and the famed quartet of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo O Fenômeno, Adriano and Kaká. Very few gave the French a chance, Brazil were everyone’s favorite team; they seemed poised to defend their crown. But Zidane produced an all-timer in the middle of the park; picking the ball in midfield, he toyed with the Selecão. I marveled as he dazzled with skills and elegant passing, dominating the game. I remember I stood up and applauded after he had beaten Ronaldo—or was it Roberto Carlos with his 360-degree Cruyff turn?—much to the annoyance of my brother and uncle who were pro Brazil.
Brazil had no answer to his exploits and he drove in the dagger in the second half as his cross from a free kick was finished off by Thierry Henry. 1-0 and that was it, Brazil was knocked out of the tournament… Zidane obviously was man of the match.
He followed up with scoring the winner in the semi-final vs. Portugal. And destiny was set: France was to play Italy in the final. It was no mean task, Italy were the second-most successful team in World Cup history and boasted an excellent blend of flair, grit and mean defense. Led by their skipper who was arguably the best defender in the world, the Nerazzuri had knocked out hosts Germany in the semifinal and were the team most likely to stop Zizou.
I was supporting the French because of Zizou whilst my brother and uncles were supporting Italy. It wasn’t really out of love for the Nerazzuri; it was driven by sour grapes as France had knocked out their favorites.
The game had an interesting start: France took an early lead when Zinedine Zidane converted a Panenka-style penalty after Florent Malouda was fouled in the box. Italy equalized almost 10 minutes later when defender Marco Materazzi powerfully headed in an Andrea Pirlo corner kick.
The game was a tad cagey from there on but I still remember Toni hitting the crossbar as both sides chased the winner. The game finished and went to extra time, way past my bedtime, but my folks understood. This final was epic. At 108 minutes, I wandered off to the kitchen to get some juice.
A huge cheer came from the lounge just as I was pouring. I rushed back to see, anticipating a goal, but it was Zidane, he had been sent off! Apparently he had headbutted Marco Materrazi following a verbal altercation on the field. The match went to penalties with Italy winning and getting their fourth World Cup trophy. But Zidane had become my favorite player, I wished Utd would go on to sign him, he would fit us very well. Little did I know this was Zidane’s last match in the game as he retired post 2006 World Cup. He won the best player of the tournament and without the sending off he might have tilted the pendulum in France’s favor.
It was a bittersweet ending to a legendary career, but from there on I understood what the hype of the World Cup was all about. And as we build up to this year’s World Cup—which has been tagged as the biggest World Cup in history—I’m sure we’re in for some good soccer…
