Zinedine Zidane Quotes

I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet.

If you are determined and confident, there is nothing in this great existence that can stop you from achieving what you want.

I am first of all from La Castellane and Marseille.

Ronaldinho is a special player, but Thierry Henry is probably technically the most gifted footballer ever to play the beautiful game.

I reached this level by sheer dint of hard work, toiling away at scores of tricks and experiments. I used to play with the ball from dawn till dusk and just kept practising. If I wasn't playing matches, it was trying out one on one or two against two with a tennis ball. Then I used to try aiming at certain targets. That's the only way to learn. And if I missed the target, I kept trying until I scored

Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or demon. He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer.

Everything I have achieved in football is due to playing football in the streets with my friends

Real Madrid is the most important thing that happened to me, both as a footballer and as a person.

I may have had a lot of luck in my life, but I still need to find a challenge in the game.

You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.

Zidane was from another planet. When Zidane stepped onto the pitch, the 10 other guys just got suddenly better. It is that simple.

Life is full of regrets, but it doesn't pay to look back.

Zidane is unique. The ball flows with him. He is more like a dancer than a football player.

Zidane is probably the best player there has been in the past 20 years ... France have recovered the best Zidane and they have progressively grown throughout this tournament.

You can't get bored of winning. You can win 10 games in a row but you keep the same will to snatch the 11th. You always need more.

My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.

Every day I think about where I come from and I am still proud to be who I am: first, a Kabyle from La Castellane, then an Algerian from Marseille, and then a Frenchman.

I am proud of where I come from and I will never forget the people I grew up with.

I don't know if we are the best team in the world. I am lucky to be playing alongside some of the best players around. It's a dream.

I'm very inspired by him-it was my father who taught us that an immigrant must work twice as hard as anybody else, that he must never give up.

Ronaldinho is total class - a very, very great player. He is quick, powerful, and has extraordinary technical qualities. He is a dribbler but is also a player who can make the play for his teammates. He's not really a No.10, a true organizer. He's more a second attacker who can score goals and has the vision to make them.

It's hard to explain but I have a need to play intensely every day, to fight every match hard. And this desire never to stop fighting is something else I learnt in the place where I grew up.

Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.

If Giggs was French, Pires or myself would have been on the bench.

Messi makes the difference most of the time. In particular, he is always going forwards. He never passes the ball backwards or sideways. He has only one idea, to run towards the goal.So as a football fan, just enjoy the show.

My memories of events and games are fragmented.

Football boots are very technical and have lots of specific requirements.

Everything Iniesta does impresses me. He could even play as goalkeeper. He's magical.

Messi is the Mozart of football.

I love Madrid. I am happy to be here. I have been here three years and hope to be here longer. But I am proud of where I come from and never forget the people I grew up with.

To be recognised by a whole country is incredible. This is massive.

Sometimes I don't know what takes me over during a game. Sometimes I just feel I have moved to a different place and I can make the pass, score the goal or go past my marker at will.

We were a family who had come from nothing and now we had respect from French people of all sorts.

All of us at Juventus agreed Manchester United were the best side we met in the Champions League. They have so many talented young players and can only get better and better. Giggs is truly world class

Mandela has played a crucial part in history. He's done some extraordinary things, not only for his country but also for the whole world.

If Zizou kept his temper, he would not be the genius that he is

It's the first time it's happened to me and maybe the last. It's a strange sensation, not normal for me. I can't remember scoring three goals, even when I was a kid.

We must not let ourselves get driven off course, no matter what happens we must stick to our natural game.

The door can never be closed for good to any player.

Zidane is the master. Over the past 10 years, there's been no-one like him, he has been the best player in the world.

I was lucky to come from a difficult area. It teaches you not just about football but also life. There were lots of kids from different races and poor families. People had to struggle to get through the day.

Sometimes words are harder than blows.

I have a need to play intensely every day, to fight every match hard.

I am supposed to set an example to young players.

Music was important. Football was the easy part.

There was huge pressure, especially before the big games. Not many people believed in us, but we believed in ourselves. We wanted to do something good and we did.

My father is an Algerian, proud of who he is and I am proud that my father is Algerian.

The only important thing I have to say is that my father never fought against his country.

Zidane is one of the greatest players in history, a truly magnificent player.

It's only natural to want to select your best players and there is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He's almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play.