Why zinedine zidane consider to be my hero - Essay Example

Why I consider Zinedine Zidane to be my hero For me, Zinedine Zidane can be considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time. His control of the ball left countless defenders left trailing in his wake. In 1998, almost single-handedly, Zidane carried the French national team to their only World Cup win. However, Zidane was well-known for losing his temper in key moments. The 2006 World Cup Final was one of these moments, with Zidane head-butting an Italian defender in the chest.

Despite all of this, Zinedine Zidane is my hero for his amazing football skills, his ability to unite a nation, and for his charity work since his retirement. I believe that Zinedine Zidane is the greatest football player of the modern era because of the way he could control a football. He is only one of two players to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times (Ronaldo being the other). At club level, he won trophies in three major leagues: France, Italy, and Spain. However, in my opinion, his greatest ever triumph came in the French shirt at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

In the final France were underdogs against a highly fancied Brazilian side. On the day, Zinedine Zidane stepped up to the mark and scored with two headers, resulting in a 3-0 French win. A couple of years later, Zidane also won the EURO 2000 title, helping the French team defeat the Italians in the final. I grew up watching Zidane at the peak of his powers, and I would argue that no one has since been able to reach such heights. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the tournament was being hosted in France for the first time in 60 years.

France had yet to win a World Cup, so there was great expectation that the team would finally bring home the trophy. At this time, France was becoming a more multi-cultural nation, with numerous African immigrants settling in the country. Even though Zidane was born in Marseille, he had Algerian ancestry. He was thus the ideal person to lead the French nation into a new era. Once the French team became world champions, the nation rejoiced for weeks. Zidane became an instant hero overnight and helped to unite the French people as a result.

For many African immigrants, Zidane was the ultimate role model; he came from an Algerian background but was able to become one of the most respected people in French society. To this day, I look up to Zidane as someone who can unite a nation in joy and happiness. Finally, I appreciate Zidane for all the charity work that he has done since his retirement from football. Zidane has participated in charity football matches in countries such as Thailand, Spain, Canada, and Britain. Some of the causes that these matches were played for include HIV/AIDS and poverty.

Since his retirement, Zidane has had many big money offers to resume playing football again, yet he has said turned these down every time. The only time that he will play football again is for a just cause. I admire him for this and wish that more people would act like him. He inspires me to always remember those around me who are less fortunate than I am. Zinedine Zidane proved to be a controversial figure when he played football. However, to me, there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest role models that I could possibly have.

He may not have been perfect, but his dedication to his sport and to those around him made him stand out as one of the players of his generation. I think of Zinedine Zidane as my hero because of his great football talent, bringing a divided nation together, and contributing to worthy causes.