Our Zinedine Zidane Biography Biography tells you Facts about his Childhood Story, Early Life, Parents, – Smaïl Zidane (Father), Malika Zidane (Mother), Family Background, Siblings – Brothers (Madjid, Farid and Noureddine), Wife (Véronique Fernández), etc.

The analysis of the French and Real Madrid football Legend involves his Boyhood life story before fame and many OFF-Pitch, little-known facts about him.

Yes, everyone knows about Zizou’s abilities, especially in his glory days with the French national team. However, not many fans have read an in-depth version of Zinedine Zidane’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s get Zizou’s story started.

Zinedine Zidane Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

For Biography starters, he bears the nickname – Zizou. Zinedine Yazid Zidane was born on the 23rd of June 1972 in Marseille, France, to Smaïl Zidane (his father) and Malika Zidane (his mother), both of Algerian descent.

Zidane grew up in La Castellane, a crime-ridden housing development in Marseille, a port city in the south of France.

Asides from crime, unemployment and suicide rate were alarmingly high in the migrant neighbourhood.

His father, Smail Zidane, had steady work as an overnight department store watchman, though the family had to live in tight quarters—not all seven could sit down together and eat. This led to young Zizou developing a quest to end poverty in his family.

Zinedine Zidane Biography Facts – Career Start:

Young Zidane was introduced to the game of football at the tender age of five along with the neighbourhood children who lived around him.

At that time, there was no hope for North African French Migrants in the game. In fact, Zizou was the one that set the example for others to follow.

For his migrant friends, football was just a sport to pass out time. for Zizou himself, football was a quest to end the poverty that has plagued his family and loved ones. It didn’t take time before his good early start caught the eyes of sports notables.

Thus his quest to register at a youth football club came scaled thru. Zizou registered at the US Saint-Henri Football club in the year 1981.

As the only Algerian immigrant playing in the club, Zizou was constantly made the subject of racial slurs and mockery about his ghetto origins by his mates and opponents.

He turned a deaf ear to them. He took the alternative of leaving the club for SO Septèmes-les-Vallons where he played from 1983 to 1986.

Another move to Cannes from 1986. He ended his youth career there in 1989. He started his youth career as a 9 but later moved to a 10 role.

These deaf ears to racism, however, didn’t last long after he joined Cannes’s senior team. He took the option of fighting those who abused him.

This led to punishment as he spent most of his initial senior career weeks on cleaning duty as a punishment for punching players who mocked where he came from.

Zinedine Zidane Family Life:

To start with, Zinedine Zidane comes from a humble family. Unlike people in the neighbourhood, the Zidane family is respected a lot.

They lived a reasonably comfortable life back then, unlike others who were involved in high crime and were basically unemployed.

His father, pictured below, was a former warehouseman by profession. He got retired after his son made it in football.

His mother, Malika Zidane, pictured below, was a former homemaker. Malika Zidane also got retired when her son made it in football.

About Zinedine Zidane Brothers:

Pictured here, the football Legend has three siblings in number. Did you know?… Zinedine Zidane are all look-alikes.

Madjid Zidane (left), Farid Zidane (bottom right) and Noureddine Zidane (top) were reunited with the entire Zidane family on 7 May 2006 for Zinedine’s farewell at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The three brothers of “Zizou” are equally involved in managing his affairs as both a player and coach.

About Zinedine Zidane Sister:

Zinedine Zidane has a younger sister named Lila Zidane.

Lila is also involved in Zidane’s career management. She is in charge of managing his image rights.

Zinedine Zidane Relationship Life:

The Zinedine Zidane Love Story starts here. At the age of 17, Zidane met his future wife, Véronique Fernández (born in Aveyron of Spanish descent), while playing for Cannes in the 1988–89 season. They had what people call True Love.

Veronique Fernandez Lentisco a dancer and model before she was known as the wife of one of the greatest footballers in history!

She is gorgeous Veronique Fernandez Lentisco, happily married to retired soccer player Zinedine Zidane. They got married in 1994.

The fruit of their marriage started coming a year later. They have four sons at the time of writing. 

Enzo Alan Zidane Fernández was born 24 March 1995, Luca Zinedine Zidane Fernández (born 13 May 1998), Theo Zidane Fernández (born 18 May 2002), and Elyaz Zidane Fernández (born 26 December 2005).

All of Zidane’s four boys passed through the Real Madrid Academy. His first son, Enzo is a midfielder while Luca is a goalkeeper. Theo and Elyaz are also midfielders.

Veronique and Zinedine have been together through thick and thin for more than 20 years counting. Early on, he began to lose the hair on his head. He said at the time: “My wife loves me like that, so it’s not a problem”

Zinedine Zidane Biography – What He is Remembered for:

Zidane might look like one of the calmest persons on the planet, but that is far from the truth. He was notorious for his fiery temper—something that, according to some, cost him another World Cup winner’s medal.

Zinedine Zidane Biography Facts – The Community Service Red Card:

What happens when you get a red card in the final game of your career given that you can’t serve the suspension since you’re not a player anymore and hence won’t play anyway? You do community service. This was the case of ZIzou.

After ‘Zizou’ got a red card for head-butting Marco Materazzi, he had to do community service since his retirement rendered the can obsolete.

While the details of the community service weren’t disclosed, it was reported that he would serve it within FIFA’s Humanitarian activities. That means he could have swept the roads or cleaned the toilets. Who knows?

But what we do know is that if you get a red in the final game of your career for violent conduct, you sure as hell won’t get away with it. You’ll be paying a fine only.

Zinedine Zidane Biography Facts – Red Card Record:

Continuing the aforementioned point about his reckless behaviour, Zidane has another record under his name—something that he would not have liked to have.

As he was playing in his second-ever World Cup game against Saudi Arabia in 1998, the French-Algerian displayed another one of his fits as he stamped on Saudi player Fuad Anwar.

It didn’t go unnoticed as the referee produced a straight red card for Zidane’s defiant act, making him the first-ever French player to be sent off after receiving a red card in a World Cup game.

In the end, he made up for it as his two goals in the final of that tournament gave France her first-ever World Cup trophy.

Zinedine Zidane Biography Facts – First Car:

Zinedine Zidane made his debut for Cannes at the mere age of 16. The club’s president was so fond of his crown jewel that he promised him a car as a gift when he scored his first goal at the club. And he had to wait two years to get his hand on a brand new car.

On the 10th of February 1991, he scored his first-ever competitive goal against Nantes in a match which was narrowly won by Cannes by 2 goals to 1.

It was the first of many goals he went on to score in his professional career. He might not have as many goals as one would expect from an attacking midfielder.

However, there is a claim that he hated being inside the opponent’s box and just loved to feed the strikers instead.

Zinedine Zidane Goal Fact:

We all remember Zidane for his headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final. Before that, he was remembered for his astounding performance against Brazil in the final of the 1998 World Cup.

In that game, he scored two goals to lead Les Blues to a rampant 3-0 win against Brazil. Many know this.

However, what many don’t know is that the two goals he scored were—and still remains—the only two goals that he ever scored against South American nations on an international level.

It’s quite a strange fact given that his career spanned for over a decade and had quite a few encounters against Latin teams. However, those two goals were perhaps the most important ones he ever scored.

Zinedine Zidane Biography Facts – Inspired Many into Football:

He is an Idol to so virtually all Muslim footballers who started out poor in Europe.

His team’s performance at the FIFA 1998 World Cup inspired the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Thomas Lemar, Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Alexandar Lacazette to take football more seriously during their youths.

Zinedine Zidane Religion Contradiction:

Nothing except this picture below says he is a devout Muslim.

More so, naming all his children Christian names again is in contradiction with describing him as a “devout Muslim”. However, he was known to usually say the Ayat al-Kursi before each game when he was a footballer.

Fact Check:

Thank you for reading LifeBogger’s version of Zinedine Zidane’s Biography. We care about accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver the Life stories of footballers who have Algerian family origins. Surely, you’ll enjoy reading the story of Ismael Bennacer.