AC
11-03-2005, 12:31 AM
Zinedina Zi-done - Revista :boo:
By Tim Hobbs - Created on 2 Nov 2005
REVISTA DE LA LIGA
Tuesdays on Sky Sports
Zinedine Zidane is the Galactico that has lost his sparkle.
And had it not been a World Cup year and had the man from Marseille not had such fierce personal pride, football could well have lost one of its modern legends to retirement already.
That was the verdict as Revista de la Liga looked at Zizou's disappointing season at Real Madrid, where he has seen the likes of David Beckham, Jonathan Woodgate and Robinho, as well as the usual suspects, overshadow him by some way.
Graham Hunter believes things are that bad for Zidane, mentally and physically, that this is likely to be his last season gracing La Liga.
"It's a delicate situation and when we're talking about a legend in physical and perhaps psychological distress we have to be careful," he said.
"But there's no doubt he doesn't feel well within his skin - that's the expression being used a lot out here.
"He feels he is no longer an important man at Real Madrid. He's not enjoying his football.
"The key reason is physically he has not recovered from the injury that kept him out for so long, but he's also understanding that when he's back in the team, he's not been at his peak.
"He's missed chances, but also he isn't contributing to the flow of football. He's out of the loop."
So much so, says Hunter, that he believes the 33-year-old would have already considered hanging up his mercurial boots.
But his commitment to Madrid, his contract and the fact that since coming back out of international retirement earlier Les Bleus have qualified for Germany 2006, are keeping him going... for the time being.
"I think he's had a face-to-face discussion with Florentino Perez and said 'look President, if it was up to me I might be considering quitting football, perhaps not only before his contract ends, which is 2007, perhaps even before the end of the season," he said.
"There's two key things that are making him hang on. One is the World Cup, the second one is the sense of responsibility and pride which he still has, which has been eaten away by his lack of ability to raise his game to the level that we all know has made him a legend.
"The answer to the question what do you give the man who has got everything? In football you give him proper advice about when to retire.
"Most footballers don't get it, I think he knows if he makes it to the World Cup that will be it."
The national side has been the scene of Zidane's rare triumphs this term. He has played five times since his retirement u-turn, scored twice and made sure they topped Group Four when qualification itself was in jeopardy.
By Tim Hobbs - Created on 2 Nov 2005
REVISTA DE LA LIGA
Tuesdays on Sky Sports
Zinedine Zidane is the Galactico that has lost his sparkle.
And had it not been a World Cup year and had the man from Marseille not had such fierce personal pride, football could well have lost one of its modern legends to retirement already.
That was the verdict as Revista de la Liga looked at Zizou's disappointing season at Real Madrid, where he has seen the likes of David Beckham, Jonathan Woodgate and Robinho, as well as the usual suspects, overshadow him by some way.
Graham Hunter believes things are that bad for Zidane, mentally and physically, that this is likely to be his last season gracing La Liga.
"It's a delicate situation and when we're talking about a legend in physical and perhaps psychological distress we have to be careful," he said.
"But there's no doubt he doesn't feel well within his skin - that's the expression being used a lot out here.
"He feels he is no longer an important man at Real Madrid. He's not enjoying his football.
"The key reason is physically he has not recovered from the injury that kept him out for so long, but he's also understanding that when he's back in the team, he's not been at his peak.
"He's missed chances, but also he isn't contributing to the flow of football. He's out of the loop."
So much so, says Hunter, that he believes the 33-year-old would have already considered hanging up his mercurial boots.
But his commitment to Madrid, his contract and the fact that since coming back out of international retirement earlier Les Bleus have qualified for Germany 2006, are keeping him going... for the time being.
"I think he's had a face-to-face discussion with Florentino Perez and said 'look President, if it was up to me I might be considering quitting football, perhaps not only before his contract ends, which is 2007, perhaps even before the end of the season," he said.
"There's two key things that are making him hang on. One is the World Cup, the second one is the sense of responsibility and pride which he still has, which has been eaten away by his lack of ability to raise his game to the level that we all know has made him a legend.
"The answer to the question what do you give the man who has got everything? In football you give him proper advice about when to retire.
"Most footballers don't get it, I think he knows if he makes it to the World Cup that will be it."
The national side has been the scene of Zidane's rare triumphs this term. He has played five times since his retirement u-turn, scored twice and made sure they topped Group Four when qualification itself was in jeopardy.