Zidane's 1998 Final, France's First Star

The Twelfth of July, Saint-Denis

12 July 1998. Stade de France. The World Cup Final. Across from France: Brazil, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos. France were hosting the tournament but had never been world champions.

Ninety minutes later, France had won 3-0. The crowd wept. Streets filled. A nation lifted its first World Cup.

And the player who scored the two decisive goals? Zinedine Zidane. Both in the first half. Both with his head. A central midfielder had headed France to the world title in the biggest game of their lives.

Zidane Before 1998

Zidane grew up in Marseille, turned professional at Cannes, then moved to Bordeaux. In the summer of 1996, Juventus paid 46 million dollars, one of the most expensive transfers in Italian football history at that point.

Two seasons in Turin. La Liga in 1996-97, a Champions League final. Another Serie A final in 1997-98. Zidane had proved himself as one of Europe's finest midfielders.

For the national team, under Aimé Jacquet, his role was growing steadily. France had lost the 1996 European Championship semi-final to the Czech Republic on penalties. Zidane carried that disappointment.

He arrived at the 1998 World Cup at 25, at his peak, with a dream in place.

Group Stage and Quarter-Finals

France started the group stage strongly. Against South Africa: 3-0 (Zidane scored two). In the second match, against Saudi Arabia, he received a red card. He stamped on a Saudi player in the 7th minute. UEFA suspended him for two matches.

At this point, Zidane was facing the prospect of returning only for the last stages, if France could even reach them without him.

France beat Saudi Arabia (without Zidane) 4-0. They beat Denmark 2-1 in the third group match and topped the group.

Quarter-final: Paraguay, 1-0 (golden goal extra time). Semi-final: Croatia 2-1 (Lilian Thuram's two goals). The final was here.

12 July: Two Headers

80,000 inside Stade de France. Brazil the tournament favourites. Ronaldo that season had been the world's best at Inter Milan, Brazil's attacking threat was beyond question.

First half, 27th minute. Corner kick. Zidane rose. His head met the ball. 1-0. A midfielder heading France into the lead in a World Cup final, no one had expected it. Zidane was strong in the air, but nobody had prepared for this.

45+1 minutes in. Another corner. The same scenario. Zidane, another header, another goal. 2-0.

So what does that actually mean? One player scored two headed goals in the first 45 minutes of a World Cup final. Among the most unusual statistical feats in the modern game: a central midfielder, in the final, on two separate set pieces, two headers. Brazil's defence looked baffled.

Second half, 67th minute: Emmanuel Petit made it 3-0. The match was over. Stade de France erupted.

What Followed

After the final, Zidane became football's star name. The 1998 Ballon d'Or was his. Across the tournament he contributed 5 goals and 4 assists. The final alone had produced something no other player had done: two headers.

France lifted their first World Cup. Aimé Jacquet retired from international management. A nation found a new identity, the multicultural squad (Zidane of Algerian descent, Thuram from Guadeloupe, Desailly from Ghana) had just lifted a trophy together.

In 2001, Zidane moved from Juventus to Real Madrid for 75 million dollars, another world record. Five seasons at the Bernabéu. In the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, he struck a left-footed volley of such beauty it is still ranked among the greatest goals in the history of the competition.

Berlin 2006: Another Final, Another Head

Zidane was on the pitch for the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. This time he did not head the ball into the goal, instead he headbutted Marco Materazzi. Red card. France lost on penalties.

And so Zidane's story of headers in finals was written by two separate games. 1998: two headed goals. 2006: one headbutt. A career lived at both extremes.

But what happened on that 1998 evening at Stade de France is the reason Zidane's name is written in golden letters in football history. If a player scores two headed goals in a World Cup final, he is the tournament's hero. No argument needed.