10 greatest big match footballers of all time

#6 Zinedine Zidane

Zidane was the star of the legendary French team which won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros

Zinedine Zidane was a footballer who defined an era. Renowned for his elegance, vision, ball control and technique, Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll in 2004. Zidane has won all the possible major trophies in his career including the World Cup, Euros and the Champions League playing a starring role in all three competitions.

Zidane was undoubtedly one of the best players of the late 1990s and early 2000s and he cemented his place in footballing history when he scored a wonderful brace in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil. He also played a major role in France’s Euro 2000 triumph scoring a vital goal against Portugal in the semi-final. Zidane was the star of the France team which is considered by many to be one of the greatest teams of all time.

After his heroics with France, Zidane made a much publicised big money move to Los Blancos where he scored an absolutely stunning volley in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He capped off a stellar career by leading the Les Bleus to the brink of victory in the 2006 World Cup finals, with him scoring in the match, before being dismissed for the infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi.

That one moment of madness is the reason why Zidane is not ranked much higher on this list.