July 28 (Reuters) - France appointed Zinedine Zidane as head coach on a four-year contract on Tuesday.Following are facts about Zidane's life and career as a player and manager.
EARLY LIFE
• Born June 23, 1972 in Marseille, France.
• Began his playing career with AS Cannes and made his professional debut in 1989.
PLAYING CAREER
• Moved to Girondins Bordeaux in 1992 and scored 28 goals in 139 league appearances over four seasons.
• Moved to Juventus in 1996. Helped the club win two Serie A titles in his first two seasons.
• Became the world's most expensive player in 2001 when he moved from Juventus to Real Madrid for 77.5million euros .
• Helped Real Madrid win the Champions League in 2002 with a brilliant goal in the 2-1 final victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
• Won LaLiga with Real in 2003.
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INTERNATIONAL CAREER
• Made France debut in 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic in 1994. Scored two goals in 17 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.
• During the 1998 World Cup, was sent off after 70 minutes of France's 4-0 first-round victory over Saudi Arabia and missed the next two matches. Headed two first-half goals to help France win their first World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Brazil.
• Named player of the tournament as he helped France to victory in Euro 2000.
• Retired from international soccer in 2004 but a year later announced his comeback. Helped France reach the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.
• Zidane was sent off during extra time in the final for head butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. Italy won the title in a penalty shootout.
MANAGERIAL CAREER
• In 2013, Zidane was appointed assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
• Zidane replaced sacked Real manager Rafa Benitez in 2016.
• Became the first manager to win three Champions League titles in a row.
• Zidane guided the club to a LaLiga title in the 2016-17 season and two FIFA Club World Cup crowns.
• Left Real five days after winning the 2018 Champions League, saying the club required a new voice and approach.
• Returned as Real manager in 2019 and led them to another LaLiga title the following year.
• Left Real in May 2021, citing lack of support from the club administration.
• Was appointed as France manager in July 2026, replacing Didier Deschamps.
(Compiled by Hardik Vyas and Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
