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#2 Zinedine Zidane
Zidane needs no introduction. As a player, he was one of the greatest to ever set foot on the field. The attacking midfielder had a tremendous first touch and could dribble his way out of any tough situation. He has scored some famous goals like the brace in the 1998 World Cup finals and his spectacular first-time volley in the 2001 Champions League final.
Zidane started his career in AS Cannes and his talents were evident to everyone around him. He helped them to fourth place in the Ligue 1, which was their highest ever finish till today. After four years in Cannes, Zidane spent another four years in Bordeaux, where he started to shine and started getting attention from outside France.
Juventus came calling next, and Zidane was happy to oblige. With the Old lady, the Frenchman won two consecutive Serie A titles. It was also during this period where Zidane scored his brace against favorites Brazil to help France lift the World Cup in 1998. His exploits in both club and international level won him the Ballon d'Or in 1998 and the FIFA Player twice in 1998 and 2000.
All this led to newly elected President of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, to pay a then world record fee to make Zidane a new Galactico. And Zidane surely repaid it with his memorable volley in the Champions League final in 2001. With the Los Blancos, he won the La Liga and also his third FIFA World Player of the year award.
Zidane's career was going from strength to strength when the infamous headbutt happened in the 2006 World Cup finals. France and Italy were locked at 1-1 in the finals when Zidane decided to headbutt Marco Materazzi after the Italian defender provoked him. The Frenchman was sent off, and France lost the finals in penalties. Zidane retired from professional football after that night and it still remains one of the iconic moments in football history.
Zidane joined Real Madrid in a non-coaching capacity but was soon thrust into the action as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant. After Ancelotti's dismissal, he joined the Real Madrid Castilla, the B team of Los Blancos, for some coaching experience. But it was not too long before the senior team came calling.
Real Madrid was struggling in the league after a poor run of form. It resulted in the sacking of Rafa Benitez and the appointment of Zidane as head coach. Zidane relative inexperience could have been a problem, but his former trade came to help him out.
While his playing career did give him useful insight, it was his reputation that helped him rally his squad. Many of his players considered him the greatest and he used that respect to unify the team and get his tactics across. He won the La Liga once in his two and half years as coach, but he became the first manager to win the Champions League in three consecutive years.
Zidane's coaching career may be a young one, but he has already achieved what many coaches have failed to do in their lifetime. While many consider him a cup specialist due to his success in the Champions League and lack of in La Liga, he still has time to prove them wrong. Many may know him for his infamous night in 2006, but if he continues like this his coaching career may eclipse his playing one.
