Zizou Surprises, Embarrasses Children

Zizou doing some campaigning?

So, you know that whole to-do about the "Zidane and Friends" charity matches lacking in any real "friends" star power? No? It was only a few posts back, dammit! Don't you read this thing? Well, it seems that the legend showed up unannounced on Tuesday to the adidas Elite Sports Program camp currently being held at the Colorado Rapids Practice Field in Denver.



It must have been a huge thrill for these kids to compete against Zizou even though he wound up embarrassing them while moving at half-speed. His treatment of the GK near the end of this video is particularly amusing:




That video was sent to us by an adidas PR flack - damage control for bad press from the Canadian tour? Who cares? Did you see Zizou make that GK look silly? That's gold, Jerry! Gold!

Full disclosure: As a rec league GK I would obviously be able to stop Zinedine Zidane in any 1-on-1 situation. I would also probably scream like a 12 year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert if I ever got within 200 yards of Zizou.

The video also convinces me that, as Spectator said, "Zidane could sign for an MLS team tomorrow and immediately be the best player in MLS"

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Zidane's 'Friends' Are Not Welcome In Canada.

'Zinedine Zidane and Friends'. Wow that sounds cool. ZZ must know some of the best players/ex-players around and if he was to arrange a tour to raise money for Unicef, call it 'ZZ and Friends', surely some of those top players would be included.

Especially when those friends are listed on the offical website as Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Gennaro Gattuso, Croatian international Dado Prso and one Samuel Eto'o! Wow, those are some pretty good football friends. So ZZ and his friends Vs 'Canadian All stars'. Who wouldn't want to go to that?

Sounds like the superb Showdown In Chinatown doesn't it? Except it didn't quite turn out as awesome!







Let me set the scene. You are a ZZ nutbox like our very own NY Kid, or maybe you just love football. Eto'o is your favorite player? Well anyway, you buy tickets for 'ZZ and friends' along with 7,000 other folks. What a line up! What a spectacle! Baresi to Gattuso, he turns his marker and flips the ball to ZZ who skins 3 players and floats a ball across the pitch to Samuel Eto'o, who hits a shot on the volley first time, and rips a hole in the net. You just can't wait. The cheapest tickets are 50 bucks but that's ok, you've saved up.

Maybe you decide to treat your employees and spend 1600 bucks on VIP tickets. There you are, beer in hand at BMO field, home of Toronto FC, anytime now ZZ and friends will take to the field and show off their skills.

It's time, here they come...Woooooooo. There's ZZ, there's Baresi...No, thats not Baresi, is that Gattuso? Nope, maybe he'll be out in a minute. Where's Eto'o? You don't recognise any of Zidanes friends. WTF, who is that lining up with ZZ? Why it's Rohan Ricketts and Martin Palermo! Who? Rohan f*ckin Ricketts? Martin who?

Rohan Ricketts currently plays for...No one! He was expected to be a good player when he was a youngster at Spurs but instead turned out to be a dud. Loans to Wolves, QPR and Barnsley amounted to nothing and Ricketts signed for Toronto FC where after 39 appearances he was let go at the ripe old age of 26. Palermo is currently playing for Boca Juniors and is now 35.


Not Zidane wearing number 10, but football mega-star Rohan Ricketts.

Now punters who attended the game are demanding their money back. They have even started a facebook group called 'ZIDANE AND FRIENDS GAME WAS A SCAM! - JOIN THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!'

"You've got Zinedine Zidane, with a bunch of guys all in their 40s or 50s, playing against some 17-year-olds from Vaughan. Some of them looked like they were going to keel over and have a heart attack. Nobody had shin pads and they were all playing at half pace. It was like watching your father's house league with the boys on a Sunday. To pay $200 a ticket to see that, it's not worth it." - Jamil Frig paid 1600 bucks to treat his staff to 'ZZ and friends'.

The promoter of 'ZZ and friends', Ahcene Adlani, denies that he is in the wrong and simply blames a lack of help in organizing the events. He also says that the lack of stars is ok because it's for charity. That's ok then!

These 'ZZ and friends' games are still going on in Canada, but the website no longer lists Gennaro Gattuso or Samuel Eto'o. In fact it apologizes for a game on July 4th that Zidane himself could not attend due to a 'freak injury' and invites people to purchase tickets for the rescheduled event this coming weekend, when ZZ and his 'friends' will take on local allstars who have "trained extensively for this opportunity'. Vancouver all-stars? Shut the f*ck up! Where can I get tickets? They trained for this! AND were selected by no other than Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Crank Fucca, I mean Frank Cucca. That's it. When does the plane leave, I am IN.

Before you open your mouth and nationally advertise and promote a soccer game, do your research. Don't say you're going to bring these players over and then find out that you can't once everybody has paid for it," -Jamal Frig, angry fan.

I think Mr Frig and his angry facebook posse have a case don't you?

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Zidane Injured at Fireworks Show

Careful!

We mentioned a little while ago that Zinedine Zidane was putting on a series of exhibition/charity matches throughout Canada against various all-star squads. Well, it seems that the event has hit a bit of a snag.



The match today at B.C. Stadium in Vancouver was supposed to be the last of 3 "Friends of Zidane" exhibitions. Unfortunately, the match has had to be postponed until next Sunday, July 12th. Why? Because the Canadians hate the French.

It seems that on Wednesday, Zidane was injured at a fireworks display in Vancouver in a celebration of Canada Day. Clearly, this was a conspiracy against the French in retaliation of the latter's former dominance of the Canadian colonies. Alright, it turns out that Zizou actually injured himself while bending down to pick up his son so that he could watch the fireworks.

Currently, the venue for the rescheduled match has yet to be secured, but the tour promoter is making every attempt to avoid having to distribute a refund. Zidane has already agreed to return to Vancouver for the July 12th exhibition, but there is no word on whether the charity dinner originally scheduled to take place after the match has also been rescheduled.

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Looking for More Footy This Week?

Zizou: Forever an icon for Les Bleus.

So, you've watched the Spain v. USA Confederations Cup semi-final, you went out immediately afterward to the Showdown in Chinatown, and you're not too thrilled about the Brazil v. Bafana Bafana match. What should you do with your time tomorrow if you still need a footy fix? Hang out with Zizou and friends!



Tomorrow is the first of 3 exhibition matches that Zinedine Zidane will be putting on in Canada with the help of some of his international footballer friends. The match kicks at 8PM EST at BMO Field, home of MLS' Toronto FC, and will be played against the Canadian All-Stars and Friends. Tour promoter Adlani Soccer Ltd. is hoping that the 3 matches (follow-ups are in Vancouver and Montreal) will shine a light on the growing footy scene in Canada, in hopes of...Well, it's not quite clear, actually. However, Adlani Soccer Ltd. does also run a football academy, so I'm sure there will be plenty of advertising for that going on at these events.

The Toronto match will feature Zidane playing with such international luminaries as: Prso Dado, Martin Palermo, Brandon Biebel, Sergio Rebrov, Savo Milosevic, Lakhdar Belloumi, Carlos Quiroga, Giuseppe Pallavicini, Paolo Beruatto, Antonio Asta, Giovanni Lorini and Francesco Vincenzi.

The opposing Canadian All-Stars and Friends will be made up of local players (Calum Hill, Jesse Mahal, John D'Amato, Julian Uccello, Linford Reid, Lorence Notaro, Marcel Debellis, Michael Uemura, Michael Rinzema, Richard West, Rick Titus, Steve Elias, Wu Yiu-Kwok and Yannick Lewis) and Italian guests (Diego Fuser, Gianluigi Lentini and Roberto Maltagliati).

Well, those are certainly enticing names on both rosters. The real magic comes in Vancouver on July 4th, when Zizou will play against the Vancouver Allstars. Not so much for the latter, but for who will finally be joining Zidane on his squad: Samuel Eto'o, Franco Baresi, Dwight York and Shaka Hislop, with the team to be coached by Arrigo Sacchi. Now that is a squad worth paying for.

No word on whether the UF west-coast contingent will be making the Vancouver tilt, but if you would like to go tickets can be purchased here.

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Vikash Dhorasoo Loves Poor Kids, Hates Zizou

This may be the only pic in existence of Dhorasoo on the pitch for Les Bleus.

Let me start off by saying that I think that Vikash Dhorasoo is quite the humanitarian. He has been active against racism in football, is one of the main sponsors of Paris Football Gay (an anti-homophobic football club based in the capital), and fights poverty in Mauritius (where his grandparents are from). However, he is also a cranky, disgruntled former footballer.



Dhorasoo has been in Delhi recently in an attempt to expand the presence of football in India, given the relative lack of Indian athletes in "major" sports. On Saturday he played in a friendly match against a squad led by India defender Renedy Singh. While the majority of his focus is to spot talent among the poverty-stricken street children of Delhi, Vikash apparently felt the need to also speak up about his former captain.

In describing Zizou's charity work (in contrast to his own), he stated flatly that he had a humanitarian purpose while Zidane had only a financial one for this efforts. When asked about the pressure of stepping in to the midfielder role to replace the legendary Zinedine Zidane, Dhorasoo asked "Who is Zidane?" While that by itself could be taken as a joke, he continued:

"We are not friends. We are workers, and football is a job like any other. So, there will be competition. Yes, Zidane's return to the team (to help coach Raymond Domenech's badly struggling team qualify for 2006 World Cup) wasn't good for me."

Yes, clearly the return of one of the game's greatest midfielders ever was not beneficial to the playing time of Dhorasoo, but if the latter really cared about Les Bleus he would have recognized that it was beneficial to the team. Perhaps he is still upset that he recorded only 18 appearances for the national team, scoring only 1 goal in that time. Or perhaps he feels the weight of having disappointed everyone who thought that he had such promise as a young midfielder. After starting his career at Le Havre, Dhorasoo then went on to play 238 matches for Lyon, Bordeaux, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain, but scored only 12 goals in 9 years of football (although he won 2 titles with Lyon, and finished 2nd in Serie A with AC Milan).

But in truth, it is likely that Vikash Dhorasoo is just a bitter, disgruntled footballer who spent only 16 minutes on the pitch in World Cup 2006, and decided to make a petulant film about the experience. "The Substitute" revealed his frustration at his lack of playing time, and made public some of the behind-the-scenes discontent of Les Bleus (which, at the time, most people already knew about) during their run to the finals. His teammates were not happy that he had made their dressing-room arguments public, and Dhorasoo was (rightly) ostracized.

So, you were a disappointing midfielder who was disappointed by your lack of playing time, you went public with private disagreements, and now you are taking potshots at the living legend of French football?

Umm, va te faire.

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Zizou Loves Him Some Stevie G

At one time a step behind, Zizou now rates Stevie G ahead of everyone.

Everyone knows that Zinedine Zidane is one of the all-time greats to ever step on the pitch. During his time with the Galacticos, he also played alongside some of the world's greatest, suiting up with Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl and David Beckham. So when Zizou says that someone is the best player in the world, we should certainly respect that opinion.



After watching his former club get demolished 4-0 at Anfield, Zizou noted:

“Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Messi and Ronaldo but yes, I think he just might be...For many years, Patrick [Vieira] was the most complete midfielder in the world and now that award must go to Gerrard. No team will be successful without a heartbeat and you can see Gerrard is that heartbeat."

Obviously arguments can be made for Messi, Ronaldo, or others whom Zizou did not mention (poor Kaka), but the striking thing about this statement is how it reflects (or doesn't) fans' thinking about what constitutes "the greatest player."

All professional sports have a version of an MVP trophy, and some have numerous awards which generally honor similar accomplishments. In footy, we have the FIFA POY (voted on by captains and coaches of international teams), the Ballon d'Or (which is restricted to the "best" player in any European league), and the Golden Boot (which is for leading goal-scorer in any European league). At varying times, the winner of any of these awards has been referred to as "the best player in the world."

But, as with American sports, is the winner of an MVP trophy (or something similar) equivalent to "the best player in the world" or do they reflect different notions? In the NBA, for example, there is debate almost every year about whether the league MVP is truly the greatest basketball player, or just the one who has achieved the greatest individual success. Can an MVP play on a losing team, or at the very least on a team that does not make the finals or win its division? Few people complained last year when Kobe Bryant won the award due largely to the fact that, despite not leading the NBA in any statistical category, he was an NBA All-Star, NBA First-Teamer, NBA Defensive First-Teamer, and led that LA Lakers to the NBA Finals. There had been much more consternation when Kevin Garnett won the MVP in the 2002-2003 season with fairly similar statistics after leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, perhaps because Minnesota had a poor history of playoff performance.

The uproar was even greater when Steve Nash won the MVP trophy in the 2004-2005 season and repeated the feat in the 2005-2006 season (and almost took the award again the next year). Was it because Nash is Canadian (although he was actually born in South Africa)? After all, he was an NBA All-Star and NBA First-Teamer, averaged a double-double, and led the Phoenix Suns to the Western Conference Finals in both of those seasons. No, it was because Nash, despite being declared one of the Top 10 point guards to ever play in the NBA, was not often "showy" when making all of his teammates better. Just like Steven Gerrard.

Stevie G has won almost no individual awards throughout his long and distinguished career. He took home the UEFA Club Player of the Year in the 2004-2005 season (hey, Nash won the MVP that season!), and was the Professional Footballer's Association POY in the 2005-2006 season (same as Nash again). And other than the 2005 Champions League Final victory over Milan, he has not seen the greatest heights of success with either club or country. He has scored over 60 goals (in over 300 appearances) for Liverpool in EPL play and 14 goals (in 70 apperances) for the England senior team in international play, but has failed to win the EPL, a World Cup, or a Euro tournament. In short, Steven Gerrard is Steven Nash.

But then what makes someone like Zidane say that Stevie G is the best player in the world? Watch Liverpool play and notice how Gerrard controls the midfield (much as Zizou in his day), shifting his teammates into position, always talking (occasionally having too much to say to the referee), always probing the opposition's defense. Notice how when he has the ball within 35 yards of goal everyone in the stadium, including the opposing defenders, seem to hold their breath waiting for a bit of magic. Notice how respected he is by teammates and opponents alike (generally), and how he is treated as an ambassador of the game (setting aside a few missteps).

Now all of this may sound strange coming from a Gunner (and a Frenchman), considering the subject. But the truth is that, outside of Arsenal and most of those who have played for Les Bleus, there are few players that I like and respect more than Steven Gerrard (and Michael Owen, as well). Perhaps the fact that I have overcome my natural aversion to someone who plays for England and one of the other "Top 4" is the best compliment yet for Stevie G.

Well, that and what Zidane said.

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Marco Materazzi Wins Damages, Still a Tw*t

Really, wouldn't you believe that this douchebag made a racist comment?

Everyone knows the story of what happened between Zinedine Zidane (Zizou) and Marco Materazzi (Matrix) in the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy. After some shirt-pulling and some pleasant conversation, the Les Bleus legend unleashed the headbutt heard 'round the world. On that day Materazzi was able to use his skills as an asshole to rattle Zizou and affect the outcome of the match in Italy's favor. But everyone wondered exactly what he had said to cause such a reaction.


Several prominent newspapers printed that Materrazi had called Zizou, who is of Algerian heritage, "the son of a terrorist whore." Given the tense nature of post-colonial relations between France and Algeria, along with increased global perception of Muslims as terrorists due to America's "War on Terror", this was a particularly grievous insult. These newspapers (sic) hired lip readers to review video of the match, had alleged witnesses (who? the ball boys?) to the incident, and generally felt comfortable with their assertions. Unfortunately for them, it was eventually revealed that Marco had simply said that he preferred Zizou's "whore of a sister" rather than the Frenchman's jersey, which Zidane had sarcastically offered to give him after Materazzi had repeatedly grabbed it.

Eventually the Matrix realized that he had been so scarred by his treatment at the hands of these newspapers that he needed to go "full American" and file lawsuits for libel. Because, really, who could ever believe that Marco Materazzi, of all people, would do something outside the rules of the game?



After successfully suing the Daily Star, from which he received a formal apology and damages, as well as the Daily Mail, from which he also received damages, Materazzi was able to complete his British trifecta this week when The Sun agreed to a "six-figure settlement."

I've got a finger I would give him. Oh, they said figure? Nevermind.

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UF Quick Throw: Really, Zidane?

(Click to enlarge; the absurdity is in the first paragraph)

We've been talking a bit about ol' Zinedine today in our emails (for reasons you'll soon see), and as part of the research, this popped up in his Wikipedia entry. An internet encyclopedia that virtually anyone can edit? Yep, a wonderful idea.

And if any of this was true, we'd love Zidane 1,000,000 times more.

[It looks like it's been changed back, but still: one giant leap for comedy.]

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Uh-Oh: Zidane Isn't Happy

Everyone knows that Zidane has kept busy, albeit with a lower profile, since retiring from footy after "the incident." He's been hilariously linked to MLS squads, been used as evidence, and been turned away from comforting his friends. In France, however, Zizou will always be a legend, and the French media continually chase after him to ask him loads of useless questions.



But this time around, Le Parisien decided to do something a little different and they got Zizou to agree to be "interviewed" by some of their readers. Some of the notable questions and answers, translated for you below:

Q: You have recently been criticized in several books, notably that of Jerome Rothen, who says that you insulted him during a European club match. What is your reaction?

A: I haven't really wanted to respond before now, since I have better things to do. With everything happening in the world today, there are more important things. (Ed. note - pretty standard so far). That's his (Rothen's) version of the story, not mine. I know where it comes from, and I've said some stupid things in my life, but on that day (emphasis mine; so, is Zizou saying that he has insulted Rothen on another day?) I did not say that to him. But it bothers me that this comes out in a book when we have crossed paths 5 or 6 times and he never said anything to me about it. I called him and left a message, but didn't hear back. And then I hear that he said it was all taken care of.

(Ed. note - the alleged nasty words from Zizou to Rothen were "son of a whore", which sounds awfully familiar).

Q: Your ex-teammate Emmanuel Petit wasn't very nice to you either.

A: With Petit it's the same thing, even worse because I know him so much better. I hate it when people aren't honest, and he is being a hypocrite because he does the same thing as me. I do what I want with my life.

(Ed. note - Petit has accused Zidane of "chasing money" and only doing things in retirement for large companies/events).

Q: What do you think of "La Marseillaise" being whistled at the friendlies against Morocco and Tunisia?

A: I think it is an indefensible act.

Q (follow-up): Do you think it is a reflection of the difficulties in France regarding immigration and generational issues?

A: It's like racism in the stands - it's a few people (maybe 400 or 500) who are spoiling things. I don't know how to stop it, but I don't think that stopping the match is the solution. In fact, that might make things worse.

Q: Do you miss Les Bleus?

A: I will always miss the pitch. (Ed. note - notice he didn't say that he would miss the team, as there is no love lost with Domenech). I am taking care of my family, which I haven't been able to do for 17 years. But I will return to football, since it is what I do best.

Q: Yoann Gourcuff has been touted as your successor. Is that too much weight for anyone's shoulders?

A: There will always be comparisons. Gourcuff has a brilliant future, and I love the fact that when he is on the pitch he is playing for the team.

Q: What are your impressions on the election of Barack Obama?

A: In France, people aren't ready for a black president. In terms of success for the people, it's easier to be an athlete or rapper (Ed. note - hey, just like the US!).

Q: Have you ever used a performance-enhancing drug?

A: When I was at Juventus, we all took creatine, which is prohibited in France but legal in Italy. I don't think it was dangerous.


So there you have it. Zizou doesn't care for the literary exploits of Rothen and Petit, thinks immigration in France is still a big issue but whistling the national anthem is disgraceful, feels that America has progressed further regarding civil rights, and popped creatine during his days at Juventus.

By far, the best part of the interview for me was the following:

"Est-ce que tu… est-ce que vous pensez… (Zidane l’interrompt : « Tu peux me tutoyer ». « Ah c’est cool, répond Djordje, je tutoie Zizou, t’as vu ! ».)"

This was from the person who asked him about "La Marseillaise." In France, people use the "vous" form of "you" when speaking formally or to someone whom they don't know, and the "tu" form when speaking informally or to someone they know well (although there are generational differences in these patterns, with youngsters more likely to use "tu" for everyone). So, basically, the reader starts to ask the question using the informal "tu", catches himself and then starts over using "vous." But Zizou interrupts him and tells him that he doesn't have to be so formal, and the guy gets all giddy.

To be fair, if I were speaking face-to-face with Zizou and he said that to me, I think I would faint.

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I'm the 'new Zidane'... No I am!

Ok... Bigus was reading the footy news this morning and he came across this little nugget:

Chelsea are trying to sign French midfielder Sofiane Feghouli, 18, who has been dubbed the new Zinedine Zidane. (Daily Mirror)

Hang about...I thought Chelsea already signed the 'new Zidane' when they nabbed 12 year old French schoolboy Jeremy Boga just two days ago. HE must be the 'new Zidane' surely. I mean, It says so here.

How many 'new Zidane's' are there exactly?



Well there's this one, Samir Nasri of Arsenal. He was dubbed the 'new Zidane' a year or so ago.

There is also this one. Bruno Cheyrou. Remember him Liverpool fans? Probably not. He was more Marco Boogers than Zinedine Zidane.

There is also this one, Yoann Gourcuff at Milan. This one, Adel Taarabt at Spurs and this one, Sebastian Giovinco at Juventus. Then there this one ALREADY at Chelsea. I'd say that Deco is more 'Deco' than Zidane but there you go.

There is also this one, Jeremy Menez and this one, nothing like giving a 7-year-old a modest target to aim for, eh?

I could be here all day. There are no less than 22 more I could link to. People are certainly not very careful when slinging around the name of soccer greatness. One who CAN claim to be the 'new Zidane' is this chap below, Mohammed Zidane...


The Egyptian Zidane - For more funny videos, click here

It's unlikely that this Zidane will become the old Zidane, inspiring claims of a 'new Zidane' leading to us all forgetting the oldest Zidane (Ronaldo anyone?) but at 22 he has probably got a shot!

I wonder how his headbutt is?

Right I'm off to see if I can find the 'new' Paul Gascoigne. Bigus likes any excuse to visit the pub.

-Bigus

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Kids Say The Darndest Things

Kids suck. Well, at least kids I don't like, they suck. But the kids I do like, they are ok. The rest, though, they suck. They are whiny, noisy, obnoxious and dirty.

But, I gotta admit kids are sometimes quite humorous, especially when they start to have rational thought but lack that filter that most adults develop between their thoughts and words. Zinedine Zidane, if he didn't know this already, probably knows now.

On his recent trip to Brazil, Zizou toured the country and played an exhibition match or two.

But, his presence has led to an attack on his friend Ronaldo.

From the report:

Zidane was even more rusty come an indoor exhibition match a little later. He had already made a fan in 11-year-old Guilherme Gomes de Assis, who won a signed France shirt from the former world player of the year.

An excited Guilherme declared he would henceforth support France, taking a swipe at Brazil's ailing star Ronaldo. "Ronaldo is fat and no longer scores goals," said the boy. "I prefer Zidane."

See? No filter. Sometimes I wish I could live that way. "Yes sir, I completely understand. You are an utter moron that has no idea about what is going on. And, I am screwing your wife." But, alas, that cannot be. Thankfully, we have little whipper snappers (and anonymous blog posts) to serve these functions.

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These New Kits are Fantastic!

La Federation Francaise de Football annonce aujourd'hui que nous avons...Quoi? Anglais? Mais, pourquoi ils ne parlent pas francais? Sigh. Stupid English-speaking troglodytes. D'accord, en anglais alors.

Join me after the jump for this wonderful announcement about the superiority of French football. Even if you're English. (Les Anglais savent lire?)

Today we have taken a big step in reminding the world that Les Bleus play the best football in the world. (Quoi? Soccer? Ah non, pas ca encore! Les Americains peuvent l'appeller football).

Although we have been sponsored by adidas since 1972, we have never felt comfortable being so closely associated with a German company (Les Allemands sont des imbeciles). So, beginning in 2011 and continuing through the 2017/2018 season, we will be sponsored by Nike. This means that we will retain the adidas national team kits for the 2008 European Championships and the 2010 World Cup (oui, oui, si on y arrive. Ne t'inquete pas).

Adidas did make an attractive offer, but we feel that Nike is the future of French football (mais bien sur c'est beaucoup plus d'argent). We also fielded an offer from Airness, as we looked to support a French company, but their products are better suited to our former colonies.

The Nike deal will pay 320 million Euros ($506 million), which amounts to 42.6 million Euros ($63.4 million) per year. In addition, as a sign of respect for the brilliance that is French football, the deal will also pay 2.5 million Euros ($3.75 million) per year for equipment and additional bonuses for performance in the European Championship and the World Cup (qu'on va gagner, bien sur).

As you can see, this deal is much more favorable than the current 10 million Euros ($15 million) per year that we are making with adidas.

More importantly, this Nike deal represents their greatest investment in any football team, well above the 13 million Euros ($19.25 million) per year that they provide to the Brazil national team (c'est ca l'effet de gagner la Coupe du Monde en 1998 et d'etre en final en 2006).

So, please remember that la Federation Francaise de Football continues to represent the best football in the world (reviens, Titi!) and we are happy that Nike has confirmed our status.

- Michel Platini*

*Not really

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Zidane should try 1-800-FLOWERS instead

Zidane's headbutt: effective in person, not on the phone

Zinedine Zidane is world-famous, even infamous in some circles for his iconic headbutt in the World Cup Final less than 18 months ago. However, he's still not famous enough, as he found out when trying to call the injured Ronaldo, a former teammate at Real Madrid, in a Paris hospital.

Why? Because the hospital operator had no idea who he was.

From the story at Goal.com:

Zidane yesterday rang up the hospital that Ronaldo is staying at in order to speak to his old colleague and friend.

When the hospital telephone operator asked who was calling, incredibly the name Zinedine Zidane was not recognised by the employee, thus the 1998 World Cup winner was not granted permission to speak to Ronaldo.

It's embarrassing and hilarious at the same time. I can only imagine that the telephone operator is a distant cousin of Marco "Who, Me?" Materazzi.

Get well soon, Ronaldo! Hopefully only nine-to-twelve months more before we'll see you back on the pitch.

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