Zinedine Zidane announces retirement

Paris:

Zinedine Zidane is a football World Cup and a European Championships winner. He's also won the UEFA champions league twice. One of the greatest to have ever played the game, the goal against Bayern Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final, was a sublime proof of the man's genius. But sadly, the 2006 World Cup will be the last showcase for it. "Football is most important for me, and family is also very important," said Zidane. World Cup He literally won France the World Cup in 1998 and then the European Championships in 2000. Elevated to demi-god status, it resulted in him winning the FIFA Footballer of the Year award thrice. Real Madrid paid $66 million in transfer fees to prise him away from Italian giants Juventus and sure, enough, his Midas touch meant that Madrid won the Champions League in his first season there. The man with the masterful dribble now plans to help children tackle life's problems. "I know what it's like to have a tough childhood," said Zidane. Zidane, born of Algerian parents, came from humble origins before rising to the top of the world. He now has the chance to help provide similar opportunities to other children, which is a very apt way of keeping the Zidane legacy alive.