Happy 40th Birthday, Zinedine Zidane

And yet the list of accolades is never what comes to people’s minds when they think of Zidane. It was the sublime skill, creativity and imagination that always stood out. It often looked as if he was playing a different game and for a man with all of the above accolades to be remembered for his play and not the glut of trophies he won speaks to just how incredible he was. It is simply Zidane.

Amazingly, it has been six years since he retired and everyone remembers how he went out - with a head butt. Still, he went out as a World Cup Golden Ball winner and as still one of the best in the world, which is exactly as he should have gone out. He was the best for more than a decade and went out just like that - the best. Happy 40th, Zizou.