May 15 – Zizou’s Volley
HE was the best and most expensive player in the world, playing for the best, most star-studded team in the world, in the final of the best club competition in the world.
If you haven’t already got it, remembered it, played it over in your mind and marveled all over again at it’s brilliance then allow us to jog your memory: Zinedine Zidane’s stunning volley for Real Madrid in the champions league final against Bayer Leverkusen on this day in 2002.
Zidane had only joined Real a year before when he joined from Juventus in a £45.8m move that made him the most expensive footballer the world had ever seen. It was all part of Real president Florentino Pérez’s ‘galactico’ policy of identifying the best players in the world, and then simply paying whatever it took to take them to the Bernabeu.
Three-time world player of the year and European player of the year, Zidane was also a current world and European champion, having helped France to both titles in 1998 and 2000 respectively. He was clearly a class act but with Juve he had twice reached the champions league final, losing both times.
The 2002 game would be different. Raul had put the Spanish side ahead on nine minutes but Bayer Leverkusen quickly bounced back with Lucio’s equaliser, before Zidane stepped up with his spectacular effort just before half time which was enough to win the game and the trophy for Real in their centenary season.
He described his strike with the all-footballer party line about the result being more important.
“My goal was very nice, but the most important thing was that we won. It has brought me and the team great satisfaction.
He added: “I took the cross from Roberto Carlos on the volley, slammed it and it went in.
“It was very nice – but it was even nicer that we won.”
See the goal below, and if you did not see it the first time round it is well worth a look. More from us tomorrow when we will be recounting more cup final nostalgia, but before we go, just time for the random fact of the day: Zidane once had a sponsorship deal with Lego.
No related posts.
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
May 15 – The Greatest Escape | On This Football Day on May 15th, 2009
[...] See the action unfolding on Sky below (skip to one minute 55 seconds for the 04/05 action) and see other football happenings were occurring today here. [...]