Back

26-04-2006

Zidane's press conference

"I would like to continue linked to Real Madrid"

Part of his family was there with him while hundreds of mass media representatives listened to Zinedine Zidane's address expectantly. It was the moment he chose, and the Frenchman, the magic of Real Madrid these last five years, said out loud, "I am quitting." From that moment, a myriad of questions regarding his future, his past, and his present started pouring down… Followed by sensible and honest responses, typical of a unique person and an unrepeatable footballer in the history of this Club.

“I am here for something which is very important for me, which is to let you know that I am quitting football at the end of this season. It's something that I have given hard thought to; it's not a rash decision. Moreover, I want to allow Real Madrid the necessary time to start planning for next season, to find a substitute for me if they so desire. I want the Club to have time to plan ahead.”

What are you going to do after you retire from football?
I am quitting, but I would very much like to continue linked to Real Madrid. I have spoken with the President and there is a project related with kids. It is not yet developed. We need to study it, but if we do something together, it will be in this sense.

Ambassador to Real Madrid?
I don't know if the right word is 'Ambassador'. I spoke about it with the former president, Florentino Pérez, who was the person who brought me to Real. We all think that I can do something. I don't want to stay here to be close to the first team, because that is far from what I want now. I want to give back to the kids some of the happiness that football has given me. There's many things to take into consideration because I have a lot to teach. I will continue living in Madrid, but maybe not for life.

Are you doing a mental countdown of the limited time you have here?
I have three more games with Real Madrid. I won't play on Sunday, but I want to do well in the remaining games, secure the second position and then play the World Cup. It's the last goal. Hopefully, I have more than 10 games left.

Do you think France has any chances of winning the World Cup?
It will be extremely hard, but just as for the other teams. Obviously we want to win, but at least the team is good enough to do something important.

You extended your contract last season. Do you regret it now?
I remember that meeting perfectly. I told the President that I only wanted another year but they offered me two or more. But my intention was always one more year.

You said goodbye to the French national team and then you decided to go back. Is that completely impossible in this case?
Well, that was different. I was still playing with Real Madrid and I could always go back to the national squad. Now, my decision is to retire completely. The only thing I can do is get a federated licence to play as an amateur.

When did you take the decision?
I can't really say that it was a specific moment. I've thought it through, little by little, and also thinking that each new season we had our objectives, winning the League and the Champions League, and that hasn't happened. It's been three years already and I am not comfortable with it. I don't wish to speak for anyone else but myself, and all I can say is that I have not lived up to my potential and to the expectations of the Club, which is something that I had always done in the past. It's been three years without winning anything and, on top, I'm not 25 years old any more, you know. It's getting harder every day; I have niggles and pains that I never had before, when I was 20. I don't want to be here just for the heck of it. I have always been a very competitive player. I have done everything that was in my hand to win, and lately that's not happening for different reasons, one of them being that I don't see myself playing the whole season next year and doing what I did five years ago. Today, playing every three days is very tough.

If the team had won, would you have reconsidered your decision?
When you win you always want to continue. When you lose, it's a whole other story, especially in Real Madrid, where you always have to win. I have thought about it very much and the truth is it's been two years since I am not pleased with my performance.

And you do see yourself capable of playing the World Cup at full steam?
I am very motivated. Finishing in a World Cup is a very special thing. I have always thought that things happen for a reason and it's very representative of my career so far. I will be highly motivated, and I hope to avoid any physical problems. I will give my all. I might not be able to bear a whole year, but I can deal with seven games.

Do you have anything to say to all those fans that will surely miss you?
I would like to thank everybody who has supported me throughout my career, and I speak of everyone, in general. Here, at Real Madrid, I didn't perform as the fans wanted lately, but they have always shown respect and affection. I will never forget that.

What did your children tell you?
My kids say 'anything dad wants'. It's always been like that.

What do you expect of your last match at the Bernabéu?
It will be very moving. I will give my very best, my all, against Villarreal. I hope we can celebrate a victory in the end, especially for our supporters. Also, I want to have a good time because it will be the last time I will wear this shirt at my home stadium.

Are you sadder for saying goodbye to football or happier to start a new life?
A bit sad. Maybe not today, but I will experience it next year, when I'm home watching Real Madrid and my teammates on TV. It will be hard, for sure, but everyone has to go through this.

Which players are you most grateful to?
I haven't quit football yet and there's still a good deal ahead. I will speak about that once everything is over for good.

It seems like Ronaldinho is your successor.
He'sa player who's doing great things and all of you are witnessing it. I love watching him play, but I think even more so the kids who get to enjoy his game.

What is your most intimate moment in your five years here?
I will remember the good moments of the five years I've been here, because you have to leave the bad ones behind as soon as possible. I've been lucky to win the Champions League with the White jersey -it was the only big trophy I was missing- and to be able to retire here. It's very important. I can't point out anything in particular, maybe just the care and affection of the people, both from the Club and from outside. I have always received a very special treatment.

Which do you prefer, your time in Italy or here in Spain?
I prefer everything I have done and everywhere I've been during my career. Playing for Juventus was highly important; I spent five years there and five here. I have played in the two best teams in the world. And I'm not just saying that because I have played in both these sides, but because I believe it is the truth. There are other relevant clubs, but when we see the list of honours of Real Madrid and Juve, it's hard for others to do something at a par.

You are renouncing your last contract year.
I'm stepping down. That's all there is.

Was winning the World Cup your best moment ever?
Well, there's many moments, but winning the World Cup, where the best teams and players are competing... well, nothing beats that. Raising that cup is very hard, but we did it and then you realise that you have that title, which very few others have. So, that, and the Champions League are my two greatest feats.

How did your teammates react?
They asked me to continue, at least another year. I feel bad, because it's every single one of them, nodoby has told me otherwise. But it's the right time.

Do you think that with Makelele everything would have been easier?
He's one of the players that has supported me most. His work was crucial and we lost a great deal with his departure. It was the Club's decision, but not all the players shared it. He wanted to leave and, once an agreement was reached, Real Madrid let him go. I would have loved if he had stayed.

What players make you enjoy the game these days?
There are some in Barça: Ronaldinho, Deco, Eto´o… Then, there's younger players in Arsenal like Cesc. What he's doing at his age guarantees him a bright future. I also like Riquelme. There's many good players and I enjoy watching them.

Have you spoken with Florentino Pérez?
Not yet. I do from time to time because we have a good relationship .

Do you want some special celeberation the day of your farewell at the Bernabéu?
I don't know about that. Winning is the most important thing on that date; that's all I want for my last game here.

Would you like Henry to substitute you at Real Madrid?
Of course I would. He's proving all his worth and all the European clubs want him. But it's not my call.

Have you though playing in less demanding teams, the sort other players go to just before retiring?
Not after playing with Real Madrid. I wanted to end my career here and that is what I have done.

Have you thought of going to Algeria, the birthplace of your parents?
Not just because my origins lie there. I remember that we played with the national team in Marseille to help out with the earthquake. I have to go to see what they have done... and also to visit the country.

Looking back, what is the most important thing that football has given you?
It has given me everything. The two most important things in life for me are football and my family. I could say many other things about other stuff, but nothing comes to mind right now. I've done my best so people could enjoy my game. Football has taught me many things... many things, but there isn't a single thing I would like to point out at this moment. Football is everything to me.

How is Zidane going to recycle from being a number 1 to being a normal citizen?
Just as I did before I played football. I've always been a normal person who likes to lead a simple life, just like that. So this aspect is not going to bother me at all. Everything comes to an end; it's normal, it's life. I remember my first autographs in France. I was thrilled and it's always been like that: I'm thrilled when someone asks for my autograph or for a photo.

Is it true that you wanted to leave in August and that Florentino Pérez convinced you?
I don't want to talk about that. If it wasn't made public, it's because we didn't want to. The conversation between the President and myself should remain private.

Why haven't you held any press conferences this season?
Well, partly because things were not going the way I wanted them to. Maybe I don't want to say the same thing over and over again. I wanted to concentrate on the game and try to revert the situation and not speak and say the same thing all the time. When things are not going well, you can always say things that affect the Club, the players or even yourself negatively. The Club has fully supported me in this sense. They said I was approaching the end of my career and that I could do whatever I wanted. I didn't want to and today is my last press conference.

The team is sad after your announcement.
I thank all the players, especially my teammates at Real Madrid, without whose help I would have never made it so far. Every time I raised a trophy or I was awarded an individual honour, I always said that my teammates were very important in that achievement.

Any favourites for the World Cup?
There are always surprises every four years; some team which is not first-seeded can get far. But then, the squads that win the World Cup are always sides like Brazil, the last world champion. Then there's other teams, like Italy, Spain, France… who can do something good. But there are always surprises. I just want to concentrate on the teams we play during the first round; it won't be easy.

Did Zidane not deserve another ending?
Maybve, like winning something with Real Madrid. The years go by. Playing every three days and achieving something becomes harder. It's been three years that I've been telling myself that... that I'm going to win something and step down, but nothing. In the end, you have to take the decision and that's what I've done. I will cherish all the good things I have done with this Club, this team, and these players.

Why do you think that everyone in the world of football respects you so much?
I have always felt that. People could be disagreeable to me the way I have been playing lately. It could have happened. I don't know what to say; maybe because of the way I'm behaving. Or maybe because I'm an accessible person, someone approachable. I don't know.

Roberto Carlos assited you in the goal that meant the 9th European Cup for Real Madrid. Have you thanked him for the pass?
He didn't give me an assist, he gave me a melon (laughs). It is true that he set up the ball, but in the end I did it all by myself and he knows. At least, we will have something important to share between us, like that he passed me the ball... which wasn't a ball, but a melon, but he did assist me, I guess (laughs).

Will your last game be at the Bernabéu?
No. I'm not playing this Sunday because I am suspended but there's three more matches. After my last game in home turf, there's still a very important match against Sevilla. We have four games left and have to try our hardest to end in second position. I want my last game with the White shirt to be in Seville.

What memories do you have of your time at Juventus?
I remember Juventus, the club, and the Avvocato -for Agnelli, Juve's owner- who was the person that brought me there. A very charismatic person. I will always be thankful to him, and his whole family, and the Club, because the world of football got to know me playing for Juventus. I played in France, but my career took off when I started playing for Juventus. I have very fond memories of my time there. I won many titles and I have friends there still.

Do you retire with the feeling that the best Zidane hadn't been around for a while and that you did not achieve what you wanted?
Of course. I wanted to win many more things, also because of what Real Madrid paid me. But that's all in the past and we can't keep on reminiscing. That's why I don't want to continue another year, to keep on leaning on the past. I cherish the good moments: the Champions League, the League, the Intercontinental Cup, the European Supercup...

Are you thinkin of becoming a coach?
No, although you can never say never.

Back