Zidane, the joke that could have gone wrong

victim of knee problems, Franck Ribéry will bow out, and leave behind him a huge playing career. The Boulonnais marked the history of Bayern Munich, but he also had good times in the French team, according to his 81 selections. The most memorable moment? His arrival at the Blues in the months leading up to the 2006 World Cup.

Raymond Domenech remembers the beginnings of the one who landed with “the profile of the troublemaker”. “I will never forget our first run in Tignes, in May, remembers the former coach of the Blues in the columns of The Team. There was still snow. He sees that, makes balls, in balance and it falls on Zidane! I’m behind, it lasts a quarter of a second but I freeze, the time to think ‘shit, what is that?’ ! But Zidane bursts out laughing and they then have a snowball fight. And there, you know it’s won… He became the entertainer, without forcing himself, he was natural and I’m not sure that if he had come earlier, he would have had this freshness, this thing that made that you laugh at his jokes. »

“It had this note of freshness which brings that little extra”

Domenech himself appreciated Ribéry’s humor, even if, as coach, he was obliged to keep a certain distance. “You pretend to tell him ‘you’re pissing off’, but deep down you really want to laugh. It maintained a general spirit of fun, it was really great, lively,” says the ephemeral coach of FC Nantes.

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Author of a very important goal in the round of 16 against Spain, Ribéry was an important holder in the adventure of the Blues, who failed in the final against Italy. “Not a key element, but it had this note of freshness which brings this little extra, this icing on the cakeDomenech still remembers. In short, he brought this unpredictability. It was the free electron. »