Sergio Aguero claims interest from Chelsea

Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero believes he would easily slot into the Chelsea team should the Premier League club recruit him from Spain in January.

Aguero has been repeatedly linked with a possible move to Stamford Bridge with Chelsea believed to be keen to strengthen their squad after seeing their FIFA transfer ban temporarily suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Argentina international had previously maintained he was happy to stay at the Vicente Calderon but now Aguero has welcomed the interest from the Blues.

"Chelsea are interested in me because they think I can play an important role for the team," Aguero told the Sun. "And I think I fit with their style of play.

"Of course I watch the Premier League on TV and I think it is the best league in the world, along with the Spanish league.

"There are a lot of very good players but, right now, the top striker in the Premier League is without doubt, [Didier] Drogba. After comes Fernando Torres, but Drogba is the best."

source: soccernet.com (ESPN)

Hodgson will risk points loss to play Pantsil

Fulham and Ghana are set for a collision course over the availability of defender John Pantsil, with the Premier League club risking a loss of points if they play him against Chelsea on December 28.

Manager Roy Hodgson is adamant that Pantsil will face Chelsea, despite FIFA requirements stating international players must be released two weeks before the African Nations Cup, which falls on December 27.

Should Pantsil play against Chelsea, the Football Association of Ghana can request that any points Fulham pick up against Carlo Ancelotti's side be forfeited. Hodgson insisted, however, that Pantsil will play in the west London derby.

"I expect Pantsil to be playing for us on the 28th and he will unless FIFA intervene and insist he goes,'' Hodgson said. "It's a bit disrespectful of the African nations to write to the English clubs asking their players to be released on the 27th of December. They know that we all have matches on the 28th.

Chelsea will be one of the worst affected clubs by the disruptively-timed African Nations Cup, with midfielders Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and forward Salomon Kalou all set to leave the club for crucial Premier League fixtures, starting with Fulham. Hodgson said he would rather have Pantsil available and face the might of Essien than sacrifice his man to meet a weakened Chelsea.

"It's probably just a little bit of oversight on their part and I don't expect for one minute for Ghana to insist that John Pantsil meets up with them on 27th, the day before we play Chelsea, or Michael Essien leave for the same fixture.''

The Ghana FA were unavailable for comment on the matter.

Hodgson's short-term focus, meanwhile, is on Saturday's Premier League match with Burnley. With strikers Andrew Johnson (groin) and Diomansy Kamara (knee) sidelined, Bobby Zamora is expected to lead the line at Turf Moor.

Zamora has been criticised by sections of the Craven Cottage crowd this season and celebrated last week's winner against Sunderland by pressing his index finger against his lips in a silencing gesture.

The 28-year-old, who was linked with a move away from the club this summer, even pushed away two of his players to ensure that fans at the Hammersmith End of the ground saw his protest. Hodgson criticised the former Tottenham striker for the celebration but maintains he is still a key part of his squad.

source: soccernet.com

Amazing football skill

One of soccer charm is to watch the players playing/control the ball. Some world-class players like Zidane, C. Ronaldinho can play with the ball like it is part of their body.

No cup qualms for Capello

England could also be paired against the unseeded France and Portugal, the latter of the two having knocked England out of their last two major tournaments.

England manager Fabio Capello says he does not fear a 'group of death' ahead of the World Cup finals draw.

England are one of the top-eight seeds and will avoid the likes of pre-tournament favourites Brazil, current holders Italy and European champions Spain.

But the Italian is eager to warn of the danger of the African nations that will be represented in South Africa, including the likes of Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

remains unfazed by the prospect of a so called 'group of death' situation though, and he said: "No I don't (worry) about that.

"You have to play against all of the teams at some point, but of course if you play against the best teams it's not so easy to pass the first round.

"If we want to win you have to play against all of the teams. It is not important which team we have to play in the group."

Football Association chairman Lord Triesman said England "will sail through" the group stage if they emulate their qualifying form, where Capello's men lost just one of their 10 matches.

The England manager urged some caution though, and he tipped one of the African nations to reach the semi-finals.

England have a one-in-five chance of drawing an African side, alongside a guaranteed European team.

The other option will come from an unseeded South American side and one team from Asia, Oceania and north/central America zones.

"I think about Africans and I believe this will be one of the most important World Cups for the African teams," Capello said.

"I believe one of these countries will get to the last four. I saw the Ivory Coast play against Germany and they are a very strong team."

- in South Africa promoting England's 2018 World Cup bid - also said Capello's side should not worry about their group opponents.

He added: "If you want to go all the way in the competition you have to come up against them at some point.

source:www.skysports.com

DE ROSSI RETURNS FOR ROMA

Roma welcome back midfielder Daniele De Rossi as they look to prolong the race for top spot with a win in Thursday's Europa League Group E match against Basle.

De Rossi has recovered from a cheekbone operation and is set to be included in Claudio Ranieri's starting XI.

"I feel much better following my operation two weeks ago," said De Rossi. "I think I will return to play against Basle and I will see how I feel.

"This is an important week for us and I wanted to be ready. We host Basle knowing that a win could see us through to the next round and then we take on Lazio in the city derby on Sunday."

Roma are second in Group E, two points behind leaders Basle and two points clear of Fulham with two games remaining.

While a victory will guarantee Basle qualify, a win for the Italians coupled with a defeat for Fulham to CSKA Sofia would see both Roma and Basle progress to the knockout phase.

The Giallorossi go into the match in buoyant mood having won 2-1 at Atalanta at the weekend to climb to ninth in Serie A.

Ranieri will play with Francesco Totti alongside Mirko Vucinic up front, with the two players eager to warm up for Sunday's derby against Lazio.

Basle travel to the Italian capital in confident mood as the only side to have beaten Roma in Europe this season.

The Swiss giants will be eager to bounce back from their 2-0 loss at Young Boys on Sunday that left them second in the standings, seven points behind leaders Young Boys.

Basle coach Thorsten Fink will have to do without Brazilian midfielder Antonio da Silva, who sustained a serious knee injury at the weekend and will be sidelined until the new year.

Roma will have to keep a close eye on Alexander Frei, who has struck four goals for Basle in the competition so far.

World Cup 2010: Fabio's fear as England sweat on seeding ahead of Final Draw

England are sweating on a place among the top seeds for the World Cup draw here in Cape Town on Friday.

Fabio Capello will discover England’s fate on Wednesday when the World Cup organising committee meet to agree on the criteria.

The Football Association expected FIFA to consider the last two tournaments and recent world rankings in selecting the seven nations who will join hosts South Africa in the pot of top seeds.

Had that been the criteria, England, having been ranked sixth in 2002 and seventh in Germany four years ago, would virtually have been guaranteed joining Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Italy, France and the hosts in the seeded group.

The other eight European qualifiers would then make up the second group, with Africa’s five qualifiers plus Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay in the next pot, and the eight qualifiers from Asia, Oceania and North and Central America in the fourth tier.

But Capello’s men are under threat for their place from a growing lobby for the final seedings to be determined on world rankings alone, which would see Holland pip England for a place in the first bracket.

England were ranked seventh in October - which is the last ranking FIFA will take into account - but prior, to the 2002 World Cup, an average was taken over three years to determine the seedings. On that basis, England would be outside the top seven and behind France. Holland are currently third in the rankings, having been above England throughout the past three years.

Had England won in Ukraine in October - they lost 1-0 after Robert Green was sent off at the start of the game - they would have edged above Argentina in that month’s rankings, which FIFA have confirmed will be used in the process.

A FIFA insider said: ‘There is no front-runner in terms of how the seedings will be decided and there will be arguments.

‘It is the case that seedings in 2002 and 2006 were determined by a mixture of previous results and rankings. But there is a view that we need to make the rankings mean more, especially as every match played by every nation, including friendlies, contribute.

‘There are members of the organising committee who plan to argue that this is the chance to make the world rankings more important.

‘At this stage, nobody knows what will happen or what criteria will be used. It depends on which members of the organising committee make the strongest argument.’

Worryingly for Capello, England is not represented on the organising committee. But France - through Michel Platini - Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Germany and South Africa are.

As are Portugal, in the form of Portuguese FA president Gilberto Madail, and they are likely to propose an alternative plan, putting weight on performances during Euro 2008 - which might allow his nation to edge England out.

It means an anxious night for Capello, due to arrive in Cape Town on Thursday and keen to avoid having to take on a big gun in the group phase. A worst-case scenario might see England in a group including Brazil and Ivory Coast, as well as a team like Australia.

source: www.dailynews.co.uk

Ancelotti: Chelsea can control title race

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti believes his team can win the Premier League title following a convincing 3-0 win at Arsenal, but only if his players can remain focused and avoid complacency.

The Blues restored their five-point lead at the top of the league with victory at Emirates Stadium on Sunday as Didier Drogba scored twice and Thomas Vermaelen netted an own goal.

Chelsea's next league match comes against big-spending Manchester City at Eastlands and Ancelotti is adamant his players must maintain their focus if they are to stay on top.

"It is important for me that Chelsea continue to play as we did (against Arsenal) with determination and concentration," the 50-year-old said.

"We started the season believing we can win the title. We know very well our possibilities. We can win every game but also if we don't have determination and concentration, we can lose every game.

"We have to maintain a good behaviour in our work. We started the season believing we could win it. When I signed a contract with Chelsea, I believed we could win something."

The Premier League leaders out-muscled Arsene Wenger's young pretenders in all departments, but Ancelotti believes there is more to his team than their physical prowess.

"We have this quality of strength and when we have to use this, we can," the former AC Milan boss said. "I think this team has a lot of technical, mental and physical quality.

"We didn't want to use physical quality, we wanted to use intelligence to defend in our half and there we won the game."

Drogba's double-strike moves him to joint top of the Premier League top scorers' list with 11 goals. Ancelotti praised the 31-year-old's work-rate and also found time to applaud his strike partner Nicolas Anelka.

source:www.soccernet.com

Gattuso threatens to quit Milan

Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, who is unhappy at the way he has been treated by coach Leonardo, has threatened to leave the club.

The Italian international has been a peripheral figure this season and he admitted that he is unhappy with his current situation.

"I am not happy at playing little. Will I leave? We will talk about that later," Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia

"After 11 years of playing at Milan I just cannot hope that someone gets injured in order for me to play. I cannot think that I am no longer needed by the club and team."

On Tuesday Leonardo claimed there was "no problem" with Gattuso, but the player appears to disagree.

Real Madrid coach Pellegrini to axe Higuain for Benzema at Barcelona

Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini is ready to make a shock selection for the El Clasico against Barcelona.

AS says Pellegrini will drop Raul and Gonzalo Higuain to the bench and select Karim Benzema to lead the attack at the Nou Camp. Higuain scored the winner in the Champions League win over FC Zurich, while Benzema failed to take the field on the night.

Benzema has scored four goals in 13 games, while Higuain has seven from the same amount.

Even more concerning is the statistic that shows Benzema averages a goal every 244 minutes this season, while Higuain is averaging one every 112 minutes.

source: www.tribalfootball.com

Reina looks to Europa League

Pepe Reina is already targeting the Europa League after Liverpool's disappointing exit from the Champions League on Tuesday left the club with the chance for consolation in Europe's second tier club competition.

After five successive seasons of reaching the last 16, Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage despite their 1-0 win over Debrecen, but Reina insisted the team must refocus on the competition they won under its previous name - the UEFA Cup - in 2001.

"Of course we are disappointed because the Champions League is a big competition that we have done well in. Now we are out, though. It's tough but it is not always possible to get out of the group stage," Reina said.

"The Europa League is another competition for us and we want to win it. It also has strong teams and it will be nice to play in it. It's already become a target. There are also so many good teams involved, but we have to look forward and keep trying to win.''

Liverpool must wait for the December 18 draw for the Europa League's last 32, when they will be parachuted into the competition along with seven other Champions League clubs who finished third in their groups. Liverpool can expect to be seeded, which means they are likely to be drawn against the sides who have finished runners-up in the group stages.

Liverpool will play their first match in the Europa League on February 18, and the sides they might have to face include Ajax, Anderlecht, Valencia, Hamburg, Sporting Lisbon, Everton, Roma, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven and Werder Bremen.

The prospect of a Merseyside derby with Everton in European competition is a tantalising one, however unlikely, but fans will get a taster when the clubs meet in Premier League action on Sunday.

Barca to make decision on Ibrahimovic and Messi

Barcelona will decide on Tuesday whether to risk Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi in their Champions League clash with Inter Milan at the Nou Camp.

Ibrahimovic and Messi have struggled to recover from thigh injuries in time for the penultimate Group F game, which Barca need to win after taking just one point from their two games against Russian side Rubin Kazan. The champions are third behind Inter and Rubin Kazan and a defeat would put them out if Rubin beat Dynamo Kiev.

"We won't know until tomorrow," Barca coach Pep Guardiola said. "We are doing all we can for them to be available. The medics haven't told me one way or the other.

"Whoever plays, we are all in it together, and I don't know why we can't win without them. But you always notice it when you are without your best. We have two games left and we need four points. Every team has a chance, but it is in our own hands."

Ibrahimovic trained with the rest of the squad on Monday evening, while Messi worked apart, but Guardiola also has to worry about the visit of new La Liga leaders Real Madrid for their top-of-the-table clash on Sunday.

Inter striker Samuel Eto'o's return to Camp Nou has been another talking point in the build up to the visit of the Serie A leaders. The Cameroon striker spent five years at Barca, helping them win two European Cups before leaving in the swap deal that brought Sweden's Ibrahimovic in as his replacement.

"He (Eto'o) will get the reception he deserves, and he deserves a good one," Guardiola said. "The fans understand the player was not responsible for his exit. His coach was."

Inter manager Jose Mourinho, who had already said he was convinced Ibrahimovic would feature, played down the significance of the doubts over the fitness of Argentine Messi.

"I'm not worried about whether Messi will play or not," he said. "It doesn't change my plans. The world of football hopes to see Barca continue in the Champions League. They are the best team in Europe and they don't appear to be scared of us, but neither are we of them."

Croatia surprise inclusion in Euro 2012 top seeds

The 2012 European Championship qualification seedings have been announced, with Croatia a surprise inclusion in the group of top seeds.

Euro 2008 champions Spain and beaten finalists Germany are joined by some familiar names in Pot One, though Croatia will be a top seed despite not even making the World Cup play-offs after finishing third in their qualifying group behind England and Ukraine.

Beaten play-off nation Russia are also included in the elite group, while World Cup 2010 qualifiers Greece, Switzerland, Serbia, Denmark and Slovakia are all only afforded a place in Pot Two.

Republic of Ireland and Bosnia-Herzegovina may feel a touch unlucky to be in Pot Three as the Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden and Turkey are all included as second seeds despite failing to make the World Cup play-offs.

As joint hosts of the 2012 tournament, Ukraine and Poland are not required to qualify.

The UEFA co-efficients are decided by taking into consideration a team's performance in the 2006 World Cup finals and preceeding qualifying campaign, Euro 2008 and the preceeding qualifying campaign and 2010 World Cup qualifying, though UEFA do stress that "more recent results are given greater consideration".

Pot One: Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy, England, Croatia, Portugal, France, Russia.

Pot Two: Greece, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey, Denmark, Slovakia, Romania.

Pot Three: Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Pot Four: Slovenia, Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Belarus, Belgium, Wales, FYR Macedonia, Cyprus.

Pot Five: Montenegro, Albania, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Iceland, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Pot Six: Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Malta, Faroe Islands, Andorra, San Marino.

source:www.soccernet.com

Malouda signs news Chelsea deal

Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has signed a new four-year deal to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.

The 29-year-old Frenchman, who had two years remaining on his current contract, hopes it will end speculation surrounding his future at the club.

Malouda, who had been linked with a move to AC Milan, said: "I am staying. I have four years left on my contract.

"Every time the transfer window opens there are rumours and I hope in this one people will know what happened."

Malouda had struggled to settle into English football following his £13.5m transfer from French side Lyon in 2007.

e had been widely expected to move on after Chelsea were linked earlier this year with a move for Russia's Yuri Zhirkov, who plays for CSKA Moscow.

But Malouda found his form under interim coach Guus Hiddink and eventually started 31 games for the Blues last season, scoring nine goals as Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and won the FA Cup.

Liverpool close to bank debt deal

Liverpool Football Club - which owes two banks £350m - is close to renegotiating its debt with the Royal Bank of Scotland, the BBC has learnt.

RBS has told club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett the debt, due to be repaid in July, will be refinanced.

BBC business editor Robert Peston says RBS will insist on significant payments in the subsequent six months.

It comes as Portsmouth's defender Glen Johnson has agreed to join Liverpool in a £17.5m move.

Lending agreement

Our business editor says the good news for Liverpool FC supporters is that the club is not about to go bust.

"I understand that Royal Bank of Scotland has told its two billionaire owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, that their £350m debt - which falls due for repayment on 24 July and is owed to Royal Bank and Wachovia of the US - will be refinanced.

"A new lending agreement will be put on place."

A spokesman for the US pair would not comment on the development.

The other bank owed money, Wachovia, has yet to make any announcement.

Comedy Football

Get laugh and relax from the serious job and business to watch the comedy football.

Steven Gerrard - Hero of Liverpool

Full name: Steven George Gerrard
Date of birth: May 30th, 1980
Place of birth: Whiston, Merseyside
Position: Midfielder
Club: Liverpool

Steven George Gerrard started out playing for hometown team Whiston Juniors, where he was noticed by Liverpool scouts. He joined the Reds' youth academy at the age of nine. He signed his first professional contract with Liverpool on 5 November 1997.

Gerrard made his Liverpool first-team debut on 29 November 1998 in a match against Blackburn Rovers as a last minute substitute for Vegard Heggem.

2004/05: A broken bone in his foot left Gerrard sidelined for two months from September, but he returned to strike the late goal against Olympiacos CFP to take Liverpool past the group stage. During a six-minute stretch in the second half of the 2005 Champions League final against A.C. Milan, Liverpool rebounded from a three-goal deficit to tie the match at 3–3 after extra time, with Gerrard scoring one of the goals. He did not participate in the penalty shootout, which Liverpool won 3–2 as they claimed their first CL trophy in twenty years, though he was named the Man of the Match, and later received the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award.

Although he then seemed set to leave Anfield, he had a dramatic change of heart and signed a new four-year contract. Typically, he struck a hat-trick in the first game after agreeing his new deal, in the Champions League first qualifying round against Total Network Solutions FC.

Despite winning the Champions League in 2004/05 and reaching the final in 2006/07 Gerrard's gripe is that Liverpool have failed to mount a challenge on the Premier League title.

Gerrard has limitless energy, has a great eye for a final pass and is a prolific scorer for a midfielder - often scoring blistering long-range strikes that has become his trademark.

Gerrard is simply one of the outstanding performers of the Premier League, a star of the European stage and the kind of player every team in the world would have.

6 Year Old New Zidane Better Than The Original? You Decide

This 6-years-old kid has the excellent skill.  Better than some adults.  I heard that the famous football clubs wants him to sign contact.  Let see the video and decide that the kid deserves it or not.

Kaka - Simply the Best

Let's see how excellently Kaka play.

Ricado - Kaka

Full Name : Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite

Nick Name: Kaka
Date of Birth: April 22, 1982
Nationality: Brazilian:
Height : 183 cm.
Marital Status: Married
Current Club: AC Milan
Position : Attacking Midfielder
Kaka's Quote: I can do all things through Christ who lives in me

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite Or he is better known as Kaká. He got his nickname "Kaká" because his little brother Rodrigo could not pronounce the word Ricardo when they were young. Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which Ricardo later changed to "Kaká"

Kaká began his club career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at fifteen and led the SPFC youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. Kaká made his senior side debut in January 2001 and scored twelve goals in 27 appearances.

At the age of eighteen, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture . He risked his life by badly jumping off a diving-board which caused him the fracture of a vertebra. This could have meant the end of his football career but he believes Jesus allowed him to recover and become the star footballer he now is. For this reason, every time he scores he points his fingers to the sky as a sign of thank.

Milan, fresh from winning the 2003 Champions League, brought him aboard in 2003 for €8.5 million, a fee described in hindsight as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and his Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over A.C. Ancona.

Kaká’s career has flourished at AC Milan and his skills and talents were widely celebrated by the footballing world when he was awarded the Best Midfielder of the Champion’s League tournament in the 2004-2005 season, this despite Milan being beaten in the final by Liverpool. Kaká’s sparkling displays of footballing genius in the midfield position have seen football pundits drawing comparisons to Diego Maradona.

His greatest goal is considered to be the one he scored against Fenerbahçe SK in AC Milan's first game in the 2005/2006 Champions League; won 3-1 by the Rossoneri . Kakà started his run from midfield and skipped past three tackles before entering the area and finishing with a low shot under the goal-keeper.

At only 24 years of age Kaká’s talents have seen him become a respected player in both the European and International stage playing for both club and country.

Top 11 goals by Ryan Giggs

Here are the top goal by Ryan Giggs.  You can see how excellent his football skill is and he also deserves to be one of great men in the Manchester united history.

Ryan Giggs - Attacking Midfielder

Birthdate: 29 November 1973 in Canton, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Club Career: 1990-present with Manchester United

Position : midfield, second striker

Ryan Joseph Giggs is a Welsh footballer who has played for Manchester United for the entirety of his club career to-date. In 1980, when Giggs was six years old, his father switched rugby codes and signed for Swinton RLC, forcing the whole family to move north to Manchester. After moving to Manchester, Giggs appeared for the local team, Deans FC, who were coached by Manchester City scout Dennis Schofield. Schofield recommended Giggs to Manchester City, and he was signed up to their School of Excellence.

As First team in Manchester United

Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990-91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991-92 season. He has played the most competitive games for the club, and holds the club record of team trophies won by a player. In recent years, Giggs has captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries.

Giggs also holds the honour of winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award twice in 1992 and 1993 making him the first player to win the award in consecutive years. This feat has only ever been matched by Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney. In addition, Giggs has the record for being the top all-time scorer in the FA Premier League not to play in the position of striker.

In the 2007-08 season, Alex Ferguson adopted a rotation system between Giggs and newcomers Nani and Anderson. Nevertheless, Giggs remained the favoured choice for the anticipated clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford and put in a cross with the outside of his boot for Carlos Tevez to score his first United goal.

International Career

Giggs announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday 30 May 2007 at a press conference, drawing the curtain on a 16-year international career. His final game for Wales, and as captain, was the Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic on 2 June. He earned his 64th cap in this game and won the Man of the Match award as Wales drew 0-0.

Personal life

Giggs married his long-term partner Stacey Cooke in a private ceremony on 7 September 2007 They currently have two children and live in Worsley, Manchester.

Zinédine Yazid Zidane

Born Zinédine Yazid Zidane on June 23, 1972 in Marseille, France. Zidane learned to play football in the streets of Marseilles and was discovered at age 14 by a talent scout. He signed as a schoolboy for Cannes FC.

Zidane transferred to FC Girondins de Bordeaux for the 1992–93 season, winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup and finishing runner-up in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup in four years with the club. In 1996, Zidane moved to Champions League winners Juventus F.C. for a fee of £3 million.

In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for €76 million, the most expensive transfer fee in football history, and signed a four-year contract. The next season, Zidane was named the FIFA World Player of the Year for the third time. In 2004, fans voted him atop UEFA's fiftieth-anniversary Golden Jubilee Poll, and he was included in the FIFA 100.

He earned his first cap with France as a substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic on 17 August 1994. Then he won the 1998 World Cup with France, scoring twice in the final.

Zidane finished with two goals as France won Euro 2000, becoming the first team to hold both the World Cup and the European Championship. On 12 June 2004, after France were eliminated in the Euro 2004 quarterfinals, Zidane retired from international football. However, at the urging of coach Raymond Domenech and seeing France struggle to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Zidane came out of retirement and was immediately reinstated as team captain.

At the 2006 World Cup, he wore special Adidas Golden Predator football boots, made as a tribute as this World Cup contained his last matches as a football player.

After scoring a seventh-minute penalty in the final, Zidane became only the fourth player in World Cup history to score in two different finals, along with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá, in addition to being tied for first place with Vavá, Pelé and Geoff Hurst with three WC final goals apiece. However, he was sent off in the 110th minute with the match tied 1-1, and did not participate in the penalty shootout, which Italy won 5-3. Despite his red card and the controversy that followed, Zidane was nonetheless awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition.

As Zidane and Italy defender Marco Materazzi were jogging up the pitch in close proximity of each other, they briefly exchanged words after Materazzi was seen tugging at Zidane's jersey before Zidane began to walk away from him. Moments later, Zidane suddenly stopped, turned around and rammed his head into Materazzi's chest, knocking him to the ground. Although play was halted, referee Horacio Elizondo did not appear to have seen the confrontation. According to match officials' reports, fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo informed Elizondo of the incident through his headset.

After consulting his assistants, Elizondo issued Zidane a red card in the 110th minute. He also became the fourth player red-carded in a WC final, in addition to being the first sent off in extra time.

After video evidence suggested that Materazzi had verbally provoked Zidane, three British media newspapers claimed to have hired lip readers to determine what Materazzi had said, with The Times, The Sun and Daily Star claiming that Materazzi called Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore." In 2008, The Sun and Daily Star made public apologies to Materazzi. The Times has yet to do so.

Zidane only partly explained that repeated harsh insults about his mother and sister had caused him to react. Materazzi admitted insulting Zidane, but argued that Zidane's behaviour had been very arrogant and that the remarks were trivial. Materazzi also insisted that he did not insult Zidane's mother (who was ill at the time).