Zinedine Zidane

Before Zinedine Zidane transitioned into a head coach, the Marseille-born midfielder earned his reputation as one of the greatest footballers of all time. 

Zidane started his career in Ligue 1, where he gained publicity with his performances for Bordeaux. In 1996, he was awarded Ligue 1 Player of the Year, before joining Italian giants Juventus later that year. 

In 1998, Zidane won the most prestigious individual award, securing the coveted Ballon d’Or award. 

“Zizou” was named in the FIFA World XI four times in his career, three of which were during his spell at Juventus, where he led his club to back-to-back Serie A titles from 1996-1998. 

After his time in Turin, Real Madrid broke the world transfer record in 2001, signing him for £69.75 million, a record that stood for eight years. 

The French superstar won a La Liga title and Champions League trophy during his time at Madrid, and in 2004, he was named UEFA Best European Player of the Past 50 Years. 

Zidane’s international career was just as impressive, scoring a brace in the final as France won the FIFA World Cup in 1998, followed by a European Championship success two years later. 

France finished runners-up in the World Cup in 2006, where the midfielder was sent off in the final for a headbutt on Italian defender Marco Materazzi.

Following his retirement, Zidane had two managerial spells in charge of Real Madrid. In 2016 he took over and became the first manager to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League trophies. 

Zidane also secured a La Liga title before resigning in May 2018; however, he was re-appointed in March 2019 following a string of poor results.