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Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane recently took to Instagram to share a photo of himself alongside Lionel Messi from their recent interview. The post caused a frenzy among fans of the beautiful sport, who wasted no time in pouring their appreciation on social media.
The two footballing legends got together for an interview in a meeting facilitated by Adidas for two of the biggest names endorsing the brand. Zinedine Zidane played the role of the host in the interview shot before Lionel Messi's record-extending eighth win at the recent Ballon d'Or ceremony.
The duo discussed several topics, ranging from the declining presence of the classic No.10 role in the game to the legends who inspired them to pursue football. Lionel Messi also praised the legendary Frenchman for his impact on the game, saying (via Marca):
"I admire you a lot, we were not lucky enough to play together. But we did play against each other a little bit. Always respect and admiration for what you did and continue to do.
"For me he is one of the greatest in history, I always admired him, I followed him a lot at Madrid, I suffered him because he was from Madrid. He was always a player. Different, elegant, tall, magic, he had everything."
To commemorate their meet-up, Zinedine Zidane shared a picture of the two on Instagram that highlighted the iconic left leg of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Fans were quick to point out the mutual admiration that the two players shared for each other and took to social media to share their thoughts on Zidane's post. One of them wrote:
"What an incredible picture 🥶🥶🥶"
Another one posted:
"If the word legendary was a photo."
The legendary yet wholesome interview has since taken over the internet, prompting multiple resharing of the quotes from the resultant conversation. Despite their glittering careers, Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi's mutual admiration and humility throughout their conversation has left fans across the globe in awe.
Zinedine Zidane's comments about Cristiano Ronaldo resurfaced following his chat with Lionel Messi
The French icon had nothing but appreciative words for Lionel Messi during their meeting. Zidane even highlighted the former Barcelona man's intelligent play, stating that if he himself thought one second ahead of his opponents, Messi was three seconds ahead of the rest.
While the former Real Madrid boss seemed to be awed by Messi's brilliance, some fans quickly correlated it with Zidane's comments about Cristiano Ronaldo in the past. Talking about the Portuguese superstar in 2017, Zidane had said(via ESPN):
"There have been many players who have made history at this club. But nobody has done what he has. The statistics speak for that. What he has done is impressive. So I think yes, he is the best in history."
Regardless, the 51-year-old footballing legend clearly acknowledges the stalwarts of the game that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are. As they say, class recognizes class.
