On 9 February 2007, Goal II: Living the Dream opened in Ireland and the UK, starring Kuno Becker and a host of Real Madrid and Arsenal players.
The second part of a trilogy, the film follows Becker's character, footballer Santiago Muñez, as he moves from Newcastle United to Real Madrid. The movie builds to the Champions League final, with Real Madrid facing Arsenal and coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
In addition to Becker, the cast included several real-life players from both clubs, such as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Iker Casillas, Thierry Henry, and Cesc Fabregas. It also featured actor Nick Cannon as fictitious Arsenal star T.J. Harper.
With a budget of approximately £10 million, the movie did poorly at the box office, taking in only £326,807 in its opening weekend and grossing under £1 million in the first week. Nor did it fare well with critics, with a current rating of 39% on RottenTomatoes.com. Audiences were kinder, however, rating it at 62%.
On 9 July 2001, Real Madrid signed two-time Ballon d'Or winner Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for a world record fee of €76M.
The French midfielder had been immensely successful over the preceding years, winning back-to-back Serie A titles in 1997 and 1998 while finishing as European Cup runners-up both years (the latter one to Real Madrid). He also won the World Cup with France in 1998, which helped him win that year's Ballon d'Or. He won it again in 2000 after helping France become European champions. FIFA also named him their World Player of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
After five seasons with Juventus, Real Madrid lured him away as part of their Galacticos effort, which included the previous world-record signing of Luis Figo from Barcelona for €45M a year earlier. Discussing the record transfer payment, Zidane noted "A while back I said the amount of money was enormous and that I was not worth that much. It is indeed a lot of money. I am fully aware of that and my thoughts on the matter have not changed. A new challenge is at hand. I was really in need of something different. Things came into focus today."
Although the fee carried a lot of expectations, Zidane delivered with an outstanding career in Madrid, winning the Champions League in his first season, along with that season's UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup. He added a league title in 2003 and a couple of Supercopas de España in 2001 and 2003. He was also named the Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year again in 2003.
Despite his retirement in 2006, he remained involved with Real Madrid and eventually took over as manager in January 2016. He proceeded to win that year's Champions League, followed by a Champions League and La Liga double in 2017, his first full season in charge.
On 26 November 1996, a late strike from Alessandro Del Piero secured a second Intercontinental Cup for Juventus.
Played at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the competition (known at the time as the Toyota Cup) pitted Juventus, the reigning Champions League winners, against the Copa Libertadores champions, River Plate. Both teams were looking for their second title--Juventus having won it in 1985 and River Plate in 1986.
The 1996 edition was a dynamic end-to-end affair, with the majority of chances coming from Juventus. They would have won easily if not for the performance of River Plate keeper Roberto Bonano, who denied a handful of point-blank shots. But Del Piero eventually tipped the delicate balance in the 81st minute; a Juventus corner kick was met by Zinedine Zidane, who headed it down to Del Piero for the match-winning shot.
It was the last appearance for either team in the competition, which ended in 2004 and was replaced by the FIFA Club World Cup.
On 12 July 1998, hosts France won the World Cup, beating Brazil 3-0 with a brace from midfielder Zinedine Zidane (pictured).
Going into the match, Brazil appeared to have the edge on offense with a powerful attack that included the likes of Ronaldo--who had scored four goals in the tournament--as well as Bebeto, Rivaldo, and César Sepaio, who had scored three goals each. For France, meanwhile, only Thierry Henry (3) and Lilian Thuram (2) had scored more than once. Defensively, however, France had the advantage, having conceded only two goals in the earlier rounds while Brazil managed to keep only a single clean sheet.
Ronaldo was doubtful for the match, having gone into convulsions the night before, but Brazil made a very late decision to include him in the starting lineup. Playing before a crowd of approximately 75,000 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Zidane provided the opening goal with a header in the 27th minute. It was the first goal of the tournament for the Juventus star, who then provided a second in quick fashion, doubling the lead right before the break.
Although the French defensive midfield pair of Didier Deschamps and Christian Karembeu did well to disrupt the Brazilian attack, Ronaldo still had a couple of decent chances, but was unable to convert. Even after France went down a man in the 68th minute after Marcel Desailly received a second yellow card, the Brazilians could not take advantage. Midfielder Emmanuel Petit then provided the capstone to the victory with a goal in the 90th minute.
It was the completion of an annus miribilis for Zidane, who had already won that year's Serie A title and reached the Champions League final with Juventus. He went on to claim the 1998 Ballon d'Or and the FIFA Player of the Year award as well.
On 15 May 2002, Real Madrid won their ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Final.
The Final--Bayer's first and Real Madrid's twelfth--was a rematch of the two team's quarterfinal meeting in 1998, which the Spaniards won 1-4 on aggregate en route to their seventh tournament title. Like that previous match, Real Madrid were heavily favored and took very little time to stake their claim to the trophy, going up in the 8th minute with a strike from their center forward, Raúl.
Bayer did not lie down, however, and quickly responded with a 13th-minute header from Lúcio, their Brazilian center back.
Then, in the 45th minute, Madrid got a Brazilian edge of their own when Roberto Carlos surged forward from his left back position and sent a high arcing cross into the box. It dropped to Zinedine Zidane, who executed a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box. The ball rocketed over Bayer's keeper, putting Madrid up 1-2. It was the last goal of the match.
For Bayer, it was part of an almost-Double, as they also finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga that season.
On 18 July 2005, Real Madrid completed their preseason US tour with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.
Playing before a capacity crowd of 27,000, the Spanish starting XI included several of their newly-arrived superstar contingent known as theGalácticos, including Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Michael Owen, as well as established players like forward Raúl and goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Galaxy, on the other hand, were missing their marquee player, Landon Donovan.
But despite the apparent gulf in talent, the MLS side quickly made clear their intentions to compete, with midfielder Pando Ramirez earning a 3rd-minute yellow card after hard tackles on Zidane and Michel Salgado. Real did not take long to claim the lead, with a goal from Owen in the 5th minute after an incisive Zidane pass unlocked the Galaxy defense, but the MLS side held firm for the remainder of the half and even created a handful of chances, forcing some excellent saves from Casillas.
The match remained close enough that Real manager Vanderlei Luxembourgo kept many of his stars on the pitch deep into the second half. Both Zidane and Beckham came off in the 60th minute, while fellow Galáctico Owen remained until the 77th minute. His replacement, striker Roberto Soldado, scored the second goal shortly after coming on.
The match was LA's first exposure to Beckham, who joined the Galaxy three years later.
On 9 July 2006, Italy won their fourth World Cup title in a dramatic match against France that ended in a penalty shootout. It was the last competitive match played by three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, who was ejected in extra time after headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi.
France had struggled to get out of the group stage, managing only one win and two draws, but advanced through the knockout rounds with impressive wins over Spain (3-1), Brazil (1-0), and Portugal (1-0). Italy, meanwhile, won their group with ease before defeating Australia (1-0), Ukraine (3-0), and Germany (2-0, aet) to reach the Final.
France went ahead in the 7th minute after the referee awarded a controversial penalty for an apparent foul on Flourent Malouda, though replays suggested Malouda had gone down in the box with minimal contact. Zidane converted to put France up 1-0. But Italy drew level twelve minutes later when Materazzi headed the ball in from a corner kick. The teams then stayed even at 1-1 through regulation and extra time.
During the second extra time period, Zidane and Materazzi exchanged words and Zidane responded by head-butting the defender in the chest and earning a 110th-minute ejection. Reports later claimed that Materazzi had made offensive remarks about Zidane's sister. Zidane was thus unavailable for the penalty shootout, which Italy won 5-3. The only miss came from French striker David Trezeguet, who bounced his shot off the bar.
Despite the ejection, Zidane was named to the tournament's all-star team and won the Golden Ball as that Cup's most valuable player.
On 27 June 2006, France came back from a one-goal deficit to beat favored Spain 3-1 in the World Cup Round of 16. It was a performance that sent the French on their way to the Final, where they eventually lost to Italy on penalty kicks.
Les Bleus had struggled in the group stage, managing one win (over Togo, 2-0) and two draws (0-0 with Switzerland and 1-1 with South Korea), but finished in their group's second and last advancement spot. Spain, on the contrary, roared through the first round with wins over the Ukraine (4-0), Tunisia (3-1), and Saudi Arabia (0-1) to finish at the top of Group H.
In the Round of 16, it appeared that La Furia Roja were on their way to another win after French defender Lillian Thuram conceded a penalty by knocking Spanish center back Pablo Ibáñez over in the box in the 28th minute. Striker David Villa sent the spot kick to the bottom left corner of the net, just past the outstretched hands of keeper Fabian Barthez, and Spain were up 1-0.
But in the 41st minute, a well-timed Patrick Vieira pass found Franck Ribéry slipping past the Spanish back line. He rounded keeper Iker Casillas and prodded the ball home to draw France level. Vieira then provided the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute, as Spain were unable to handle a Zinedine Zidane free kick. It bounced to Vieira in the box and he headed it into the net. Spain pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but were exposed on the counter-attack as Zidane added an insurance goal in the 92nd minute.
On 11 June 2002, defending World Cup champions France were eliminated from the 2002 tournament with a 2-0 loss to Denmark in their final group stage match before a crowd of 48,100 at Korea's Incheon Munhak Stadium. Les Bleus finished at the bottom of their group with a single point, having gone scoreless in all three matches.
France started the day still in contention for the group's second place, needing a win against Denmark and a Uruguay win over Senegal. The French attack, however, was impaired by the absence of prolific striker Thierry Henry, who had been sent off in the previous match after a dangerous sliding tackle. And despite the presence of other French stars on the pitch, including Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, Patrick Vieira, and David Trezeguet, Les Bleus struggled to create pressure on the Danish goal.
The Danes had no such problem, taking a 22nd-minute lead with a strike from PSV winger Dennis Rommedahl (pictured, top). Striker Jon Dahl Tomasson (pictured, bottom), who had scored the match-winner for Feyenoord in that year's UEFA Cup, added a second in the 67th minute to seal the win.
Denmark advanced only to be eliminated by England 0-3 in the first knockout round.
On 23 June 1972, French star midfielder Zinedine Zidane was born in Marseille. His parents were Kabyle Muslims from the village of Aguemone in Algeria. They moved to Paris in 1953 and settled in Marseille a few years later.
Zidane, nicknamed "Zizzou," started his professional career with Cannes, where he played from 1988 to 1992. He transferred to Bordeaux for the 1992-93 season and helped them to win the Intertoto Cup in 1995. In all, he made 174 appearances for the Girondins, scoring 37 goals. He also earned individual recognition, being named the Ligue 1 Best Young Player in 1994 and Best Player in 1996.
In 1996, he moved to Juventus and helped them claim back-to-back Scudettos in his first two seasons. They also made consecutive appearances in the UEFA Champions League Finals those years, but lost to Borussia Dortmund in 1996 and Real Madrid in 1997. In 1998, he won the Ballon d'Or, due in part to his role in leading France to the 1998 World Cup title. He also won the 1998 FIFA World Player of the Year award, which he won again 2000.
In 2001, Zidane moved again, this time to Real Madrid for what was then the world record transfer fee of €76 million. He culminated his first season in Madrid by scoring the winning goal in Real's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. In 2003, he again won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, becoming only the second person to claim the honor three times (along with his Real teammate Ronaldo).
Despite all of his success on the pitch, he is probably best remembered for the 2006 World Cup in which he was sent off for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute of the Final. It was his last professional match, as he retired from football after the tournament.
On 10 February 1991, Zinedine Zidane scored his first professional goal to help Cannes beat Nantes.
Nineteen years old at the time, Zidane had been with Cannes since joining them as a youth player in 1986. He signed a professional contract with them in 1989 and made his first-team debut against Nantes that May, one of only two appearances that season.
He didn't play for the first team at all the next season, but featured regularly in 1990-91, making a total of 31 appearances across all competitions. His only goal, though, came in a 2-1 league win over Nantes. Afterward, club chairman Alain Pedretti gave Zidane a car, honoring a promise he'd made to the midfielder for his first scoring strike.
Zidane left Cannes for Bordeaux in 1992, then spent time with Juventus (1996-2001) and Real Madrid (2001-06) while becoming one of the world's greatest players. He went on to score a total of 125 goals in 681 career club appearances, while winning the Ballon d'Or in 1998 after leading France to victory in the World Cup.
On 17 August 1994, Zinedine Zidane debuted for France, scoring two late goals to earn a draw with the Czech Republic.
The 22-year old midfielder had already made a name for himself with eight seasons in Ligue 1—split equally between Cannes and Bordeaux—and had just completed his first year with Juventus by winning the 1997 Serie A title. But despite six years playing for France's youth teams, he had failed to make the leap into the senior squad.
That changed in August 1994, when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic. Playing in Bordeaux, Les Bleus were down 0-2 at the break after conceding goals to Tomáš Skuhravý (42') and Daniel Šmejkal (45'). That prompted manager Aimé Jacquet to make a couple of changes at the start of the second half, one of which was bringing Zidane on for Corentin Martins.
France were still down 0-2 deep into the second half when, in the 85th minute, Zidane received a pass just inside the Czech half, beat two defenders, and unleashed a sonic boom of a shot from 25 yards out into the far top corner. That alone would have made it a memorable debut, but he added a second goal two minutes later with a towering header from about 10 yards out to earn the 2-2 draw.
He went on to score a total of 31 goals in 108 appearances for France while reaching the World Cup final twice and winning it in 1998.
On 9 February 2007, Goal II: Living the Dream opened in Ireland and the UK, starring Kuno Becker and a host of Real Madrid and Arsenal players.
The second part of a trilogy, the film follows Becker's character, footballer Santiago Muñez, as he moves from Newcastle United to Real Madrid. The movie builds to the Champions League final, with Real Madrid facing Arsenal and coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
In addition to Becker, the cast included several real-life players from both clubs, such as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Iker Casillas, Thierry Henry, and Cesc Fabregas. It also featured actor Nick Cannon as fictitious Arsenal star T.J. Harper.
With a budget of approximately £10 million, the movie did poorly at the box office, taking in only £326,807 in its opening weekend and grossing under £1 million in the first week. Nor did it fare well with critics, with a current rating of 39% on RottenTomatoes.com. Audiences were kinder, however, rating it at 67%.
On 9 July 2001, Real Madrid signed two-time Ballon d'Or winner Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for a world record fee of €76M.
The French midfielder had been immensely successful over the preceding years, winning back-to-back Serie A titles in 1997 and 1998 while finishing as European Cup runners-up both years (the latter one to Real Madrid). He also won the World Cup with France in 1998, which helped him win that year's Ballon d'Or. He won it again in 2000 after helping France become European champions. FIFA also named him their World Player of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
After five seasons with Juventus, Real Madrid lured him away as part of their Galacticos effort, which included the previous world-record signing of Luis Figo from Barcelona for €45M a year earlier. Discussing the record transfer payment, Zidane noted "A while back I said the amount of money was enormous and that I was not worth that much. It is indeed a lot of money. I am fully aware of that and my thoughts on the matter have not changed. A new challenge is at hand. I was really in need of something different. Things came into focus today."
Although the fee carried a lot of expectations, Zidane delivered with an outstanding career in Madrid, winning the Champions League in his first season, along with that season's UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup. He added a league title in 2003 and a couple of Supercopas de España in 2001 and 2003. He was also named the Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year again in 2003.
Despite his retirement in 2006, he remains involved with Real Madrid and currently serves as the club's Director of Football.
On 26 November 1996, a late strike from Alessandro Del Piero secured a second Intercontinental Cup for Juventus.
Played at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the competition (known at the time as the Toyota Cup) pitted Juventus, the reigning Champions League winners, against the Copa Libertadores champions, River Plate. Both teams were looking for their second title--Juventus having won it in 1985 and River Plate in 1986.
The 1996 edition was a dynamic end-to-end affair, with the majority of chances coming from Juventus. They would have won easily if not for the performance of River Plate keeper Roberto Bonano, who denied a handful of point-blank shots. But Del Piero eventually tipped the delicate balance in the 81st minute; a Juventus corner kick was met by Zinedine Zidane, who headed it down to Del Piero for the match-winning shot.
It was the last appearance for either team in the competition, which ended in 2004 and was replaced by the FIFA Club World Cup.
On 12 July 1998, hosts France won the World Cup, beating Brazil 3-0 with a brace from midfielder Zinedine Zidane (pictured).
Going into the match, Brazil appeared to have the edge on offense with a powerful attack that included the likes of Ronaldo--who had scored four goals in the tournament--as well as Bebeto, Rivaldo, and César Sepaio, who had scored three goals each. For France, meanwhile, only Thierry Henry (3) and Lilian Thuram (2) had scored more than once. Defensively, however, France had the advantage, having conceded only two goals in the earlier rounds while Brazil managed to keep only a single clean sheet.
Ronaldo was doubtful for the match, having gone into convulsions the night before, but Brazil made a very late decision to include him in the starting lineup. Playing before a crowd of approximately 75,000 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Zidane provided the opening goal with a header in the 27th minute. It was the first goal of the tournament for the Juventus star, who then provided a second in quick fashion, doubling the lead right before the break.
Although the French defensive midfield pair of Didier Deschamps and Christian Karembeu did well to disrupt the Brazilian attack, Ronaldo still had a couple of decent chances, but was unable to convert. Even after France went down a man in the 68th minute after Marcel Desailly received a second yellow card, the Brazilians could not take advantage. Midfielder Emmanuel Petit then provided the capstone to the victory with a goal in the 90th minute.
It was the completion of an annus miribilis for Zidane, who had already won that year's Serie A title and reached the Champions League final with Juventus. He went on to claim the 1998 Ballon d'Or and the FIFA Player of the Year award as well.
On 15 May 2002, Real Madrid won their record ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Final.
The Final--Bayer's first and Real Madrid's twelfth--was a rematch of the two team's quarterfinal meeting in 1998, which the Spaniards won 1-4 on aggregate en route to their seventh tournament title. Like that previous match, Real Madrid were heavily favored and took very little time to stake their claim to the trophy, going up in the 8th minute with a strike from their center forward, Raúl. Bayer did not lie down, however, and quickly responded with a 13th-minute header from Lúcio, their Brazilian center back.
Then, in the 45th minute, Madrid got a Brazilian edge of their own when Roberto Carlos surged forward from his left back position and sent a high arcing cross into the box. It dropped to Zinedine Zidane, who executed a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box. The ball rocketed over Bayer's keeper, putting Madrid up 1-2. It was the last goal of the match.
Neither team has returned to the Final since. For Bayer, it was part of an almost-Double, as they also finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga that season.
On 18 July 2005, Real Madrid completed their preseason US tour with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.
Playing before a capacity crowd of 27,000, the Spanish starting XI included several of their newly-arrived superstar contingent known as the Galácticos, including Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Michael Owen, as well as established players like forward Raúl and goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Galaxy, on the other hand, were missing their marquee player, Landon Donovan.
But despite the apparent gulf in talent, the MLS side quickly made clear their intentions to compete, with midfielder Pando Ramirez earning a 3rd-minute yellow card after hard tackles on Zidane and Michel Salgado. Real did not take long to claim the lead, with a goal from Owen in the 5th minute after an incisive Zidane pass unlocked the Galaxy defense, but the MLS side held firm for the remainder of the half and even created a handful of chances, forcing some excellent saves from Casillas.
The match remained close enough that Real manager Vanderlei Luxembourgo kept many of his stars on the pitch deep into the second half. Both Zidane and Beckham came off in the 60th minute, while fellow Galáctico Owen remained until the 77th minute. His replacement, striker Roberto Soldado, scored the second goal shortly after coming on.
The match was LA's first exposure to Beckham, who joined the Galaxy three years later.
On 9 July 2006, Italy won their fourth World Cup title in a dramatic match against France that ended in a penalty shootout. It was the last competitive match played by three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, who was ejected in extra time after headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi.
France had struggled to get out of the group stage, managing only one win and two draws, but advanced through the knockout rounds with impressive wins over Spain (3-1), Brazil (1-0), and Portugal (1-0). Italy, meanwhile, won their group with ease before defeating Australia (1-0), Ukraine (3-0), and Germany (2-0, aet) to reach the Final.
France went ahead in the 7th minute after the referee awarded a controversial penalty for an apparent foul on Flourent Malouda, though replays suggested Malouda had gone down in the box with minimal contact. Zidane converted to put France up 1-0. But Italy drew level twelve minutes later when Materazzi headed the ball in from a corner kick. The teams then stayed even at 1-1 through regulation and extra time.
During the second extra time period, Zidane and Materazzi exchanged words and Zidane responded by head-butting the defender in the chest and earning a 110th-minute ejection. Reports later claimed that Materazzi had made offensive remarks about Zidane's sister. Zidane was thus unavailable for the penalty shootout, which Italy won 5-3. The only miss came from French striker David Trezeguet, who bounced his shot off the bar.
Despite the ejection, Zidane was named to the tournament's all-star team and won the Golden Ball as that Cup's most valuable player.
On 27 June 2006, France came back from a one-goal deficit to beat favored Spain 3-1 in the World Cup Round of 16. It was a performance that sent the French on their way to the Final, where they eventually lost to Italy on penalty kicks.
Les Bleus had struggled in the group stage, managing one win (over Togo, 2-0) and two draws (0-0 with Switzerland and 1-1 with South Korea), but finished in their group's second and last advancement spot. Spain, on the contrary, roared through the first round with wins over the Ukraine (4-0), Tunisia (3-1), and Saudi Arabia (0-1) to finish at the top of Group H.
In the Round of 16, it appeared that La Furia Roja were on their way to another win after French defender Lillian Thuram conceded a penalty by knocking Spanish center back Pablo Ibáñez over in the box in the 28th minute. Striker David Villa sent the spot kick to the bottom left corner of the net, just past the outstretched hands of keeper Fabian Barthez, and Spain were up 1-0.
But in the 41st minute, a well-timed Patrick Vieira pass found Franck Ribéry slipping past the Spanish back line. He rounded keeper Iker Casillas and prodded the ball home to draw France level. Vieira then provided the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute, as Spain were unable to handle a Zinedine Zidane free kick. It bounced to Vieira in the box and he headed it into the net. Spain pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but were exposed on the counter-attack as Zidane added an insurance goal in the 92nd minute.
