We Love Zinedine Zidane

The history between England versus France has seen a lot of major battles, whether it is political war or sports. Of course the most memorable is the Euro 2004 battle, where Zizou himself is involved. Even though he may look like he needed the help of cosmetic surgery in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, Zizou managed to bring France to victory over England.

It should have been the best of times, but it became the worst of times. It was, by a mile, the most eagerly awaited game of the qualifying stage of Euro 2004, played on 13 June at the Stadium of Light, Lisbon. France, then ranked No 2 in the world, were defending their European Championship title against their ancient enemy, ranked 13. But as every commentator told you, no championship-winning nation had ever successfully defended their title. There was a weird air of split loyalties, if not downright treachery, about the warring teams – nine of the French squad were then playing for English Premiership clubs. In the midfield, Steven Gerrard squared up to Patrick Vieira. England fans looked at Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet and wondered: could they possibly be better than Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney? The bookmakers gave France the edge. Odds on a French victory were evens, with England at 15/8, and a tie at 13/5.

In the event, we all recall what happened. Frank Lampard scored in the first half with a header from a David Beckham free kick. Rooney managed to force a penalty in the second half, only for Beckham to boot it into the hands of Fabien Barthez. As the final whistle neared, England had it in the bag. Then Zinedine Zidane sent a massive curling free-kick round the England wall to equalise in the 90th minute. Three minutes later, Henry was fouled by the England goalkeeper, David “Calamity” James. Zidane stepped up to the penalty spot, vomited, and then cooly slotted home the penalty. England fans sat stunned in the Lisbon stadium, as the hated Frenchmen smirked. Oh woe and misery. French victory.