[Sports at the scene] With the ball at his feet, Zidane opens his memoirs

Sports Weekly Special Correspondent Shen Tianhao from Trento

Without the activities organized by Gazzetta dello Sport, it would be hard to imagine that Zidane would come to Trento, a small town in northeastern Italy, on an autumn afternoon. As the final guest of this sports festival, Zidane came to the Santa Chiara Concert Hall to have a conversation with the famous Italian writer Vertroni.

Marseille, Saint-Denis and Metro Heating

"I grew up in Marseille. 45 years ago, like many children, I liked to play football in the streets every day, and that's when I fell in love with football." Zidane recalled. The beginning of his football journey: "At that time, my room had posters of players - Platini and Amoros. But of course I was a Marseille fan when I was a child."

"My parents are from Algeria, and they first came to Marseille to play. work, but job opportunities are few. Later, my father went to work in Paris. He is now 90 years old. His body is sometimes tired, but his mind is still clear. We still talk about that time occasionally, and I can see the pride in his eyes, and I feel lucky to still be able to talk about those things with him. He often said that life was not easy at that time. He felt very cold every day. The warmest time was when the heater in the subway car was blowing. "

The area where Zidane's father started working in Paris was in the Saint-Denis area. That was 1955. More than 40 years later, "Zizou", who has already donned the jersey of the French national team, brought the Gallic Rooster to the top of the world in Saint-Denis. How did he develop that wonderful touch? "I think it is natural, not specially trained. Of course, my header and left foot were later trained hard in the Cannes youth training camp. My father always told me: without effort, there will be no results."

During his player days, Zidane was able to play football almost poetically. Is contemporary football too focused on the body and missing that kind of beauty? Zizou said: "Yes, I also feel that something is missing. I hope to see offensive football-holding the ball, dribbling, 40-meter long passes... Such scenes are becoming less and less nowadays."

Torino, napkins and hotel life

Many Italians' most profound memory of Zidane comes from his Juventus career. Zizou recalled the experience of those five years: "When I came to Juventus from France, it was the first time I really felt the creed - winning is the only goal. For the French Ligue 1 team at that time, it didn't matter much if they drew or even lost when playing away games, but such an idea did not exist at Juventus. I still remember those videos of Gianni Agnelli. Words - Sometimes when I performed well in an away game, it was already three or four o'clock in the morning when I returned to Turin with the team. He called me personally at six o'clock in the morning and said: 'Congratulations' and then hung up."

"When I first arrived at Juventus, Ventrone was in charge of physical training, and the volume was really high. , I couldn’t bear it at first: ‘I’m here to play football, not to suffer. ’ Soon, I understood why: it’s about being physically prepared and in top shape for the entire season. My teammates also gave me a lot of help: One time in an away game, we performed poorly. It was already three or four in the morning when we returned to Turin Airport. Several fans were very excited. Montero and Fonseca were by my side to protect me... There were also Padovano, Vieri and others in that team, but Del Piero was still special. He had something that no one else had. "

In 2001, Zidane transferred to Real Madrid for a world record price, and the opening of the transaction is quite legendary. "It was at a dinner in Monaco. There were thirty or forty people at the table. Florentino handed me a piece of paper that said: 'Want to come to Madrid?' I had been at Juventus for five years and was almost 30 years old. I thought it was time to make a change - -Leave now or never. Did Figo not pass the ball to me when I first came to Real Madrid? No matter what, I would find a way to get the ball."

After another five years, Zidane decided to retire. He completed the farewell performance of his Real Madrid career in the game against Villarreal, and ended his career with a "stunning goal" in the World Cup. Why hang up your boots so early? Zizou gave the answer: "This is all my own decision - if I only look at competitive status, I can play for at least two or three years. I love playing football and training, but I am tired of the life of frequent traveling and staying in hotels. At that time, we even had to go there the night before home games Hotel, when you are 20 years old, these are no problem, but after you reach your thirties and have children at home, it is too tiring. I choose to stop just because I don’t want to live that kind of life anymore.”

Who does coach Qi Zu want to reunite with the most?

After retiring, Zidane once said that he would never be a coach, but not only did he break his promise, he also won three Champions Leagues. In this regard, Qi Zu said with a smile: "Yes, I did say that. After retiring, I changed my life. I spent time with my family, took care of my children, traveled, and met friends. In those three years, I really enjoyed my life. But at the age of 37, I asked myself: 'What should I do next? ’ I was still young and couldn’t continue like this. So, I talked a lot with a friend who was a coach, and he inspired me. Before that, I worked as a team manager for two years and didn’t like it, but while I was preparing for the coaching exam, I decided to give it a try. I slowly realized that I really wanted to be a coach. ”

“Which coach did I learn the most from? I've had the privilege of working with the most amazing coaches and they've all taught me so much. Marcello Lippi is very important to me: when I first came to Italy, I was not fit physically and was criticized by many people. He always believed that I would succeed at Juventus, which is very crucial for young players. Ancelotti is a friend of mine, an 'old' friend - because he is older than me. What I learned from him is: listen to the players with your heart. "

If he could coach one of his favorite players again, would coach Zidane choose Cristiano Ronaldo or Modric? "Choose both! I can't answer this question, because I really like them all - Kroos, Benzema... the players I had at that time were really incredible. And their training performance is even more impressive than the game: Imagine watching those players practice passing, Benzema, Kroos, Isco, Modric, Rodrigo... In an hour and a half of training, they did not concede the ball from beginning to end. Never. Cristiano sometimes concedes the ball (laughs) but he has amazing shooting and jumping and has scored some amazing goals. "

Are there any players from other teams that Zidane would have hoped to have the opportunity to coach? Host Veltroni gave a suggestion: Iniesta. Zizou responded: "Yes, but Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets are one." But if there is a team that impresses me the most, it should be the Milan team of my youth. Van Basten, Baresi, Maldini... and Carlo (Ancelotti) in the midfield. Sacchi's Milan was really unforgettable, they won too many, too many games. "

If you don't talk about football and just chat, which former disciple would Zidane most like to reunite with? "Modric, or Kroos, and of course others... I like people who are low-key and unassuming. They focus on the court. Their life off the court is simple. They are always with their families and are very calm. I appreciate this kind of person because we are somewhat similar. "

Legendary Qi Zu's "Cooking Wine and Discussing Heroes"

As one of the most representative "No. 10s" in football, does Zidane feel that the "No. 10" species is disappearing from the football world? "Yes, it is true." Football today is very different from the past. Nowadays, the lines of football are fixed: one defensive line, one midfielder, one striker. You are either a '4' or a '2', but there is no longer the person who stands between the two lines and is responsible for passing and creating. It's a bit strange indeed: if I were still playing football now, defensively I would listen to the coach, but offensively I would definitely do what I want to do. "

Recalling the past, Zidane once again expressed his yearning for his idol Francescoli: "He gave me goosebumps. I saw him play for the first time in Marseille and it fascinated me. I became who I became, in part, because I tried to imitate him, to recreate the grace and creativity I saw in him. He had a profound influence on me. "

Who is the strongest opponent Zidane has ever encountered in his career? He did not hesitate and immediately gave the answer: "Ronaldo, the 'phenomenon'. Of course, Cristiano is also very good, his achievements need no introduction, but the things that ‘Phenomena’ does on the field are really unbelievable. During training he would say to me: ‘I’m going to take your wickets twice later. ’ In the end, I actually wore it twice, and there’s nothing you can do about it even if you’re angry. " Speaking of this, the host curiously asked: Did Totti really almost join Real Madrid back then? Zidane smiled and said: "He said yes himself, and more than once..."

Back to the present, is there any current player that Zidane particularly likes? He first gave his praise to the new No. 10 Yildiz of his old club Juventus, but the real person he liked was actually Yamal: "You will know as soon as he touches the ball, he is a natural kicker. I remember his second half against Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals last year, it was so crazy. I was watching and thinking: 'Oh my God, no one can stop him! ’ Inter Milan’s defense is top-notch, especially at home, but he almost tore apart the entire defense that day. This shocked me deeply. In addition, there are several midfielders from Paris Saint-Germain, such as Vitinha and Neves - they never concede a goal. A midfielder who can control the rhythm and make no mistakes is crucial to any team. "

Last question: If today Zidane met the kid who played football on the streets of Marseille when he was a child, what would he say to him?

"Keep moving forward. ”

The theme of this event is: The ball is at your feet.