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#4 Zinedine Zidane
The comeback of Zidane is perhaps the most famous in international footballing history. With France struggling to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Raymond Domenech pleaded for the Real Madrid star to return to action. When he agreed, he was immediately made the captain of the side and set about producing a tournament of remarkable quality.
Under the prompting of Zidane, France cut their way to the final of the competition. His performance against Spain in the second round befitted that of a player who is considered perhaps the finest of his generation, while he reprised such a level against Brazil in the quarter-finals, setting up Thierry Henry for the game’s only game.
It was in the final that the strange dichotomy of Zidane was shown, first his simple brilliance as he showed an inhumanely cool head to chip a penalty past Gianluigi Buffon to give Les Bleus the lead, then his mercurial nature when he was infamously sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi.
“If you look at the 14 red cards I had in my career, 12 of them were a result of provocation. This isn't justification, this isn’t an excuse, but my passion, temper and blood made me react,” he told Esquire several years later.
France ultimately lost an unforgettable final on penalties as David Trezeguet struck the underside of the bar, while Zidane was named the Golden Ball winner as the tournament’s outstanding player, despite his competition – and his career – ending in such undignified circumstances.
