Football News
The big revelation about Zidane's coronation in 98
Wearing number 10 for the French team during the 1998 World Cup and scoring twice in the final, Zinédine Zidane seemed the obvious choice for the 1998 Ballon d'Or. However, the true best player in the world this year that year was Ronaldo!
Before suffering the effects of its partnership with FIFA between 2010 and 2016, the Ballon d'Or awarded by France Football had built a prestigious reputation, thanks to a jury of European journalists responsible for rewarding the players who had scored each year. During the World Cup years, it was common to see the best player from the world champion team elected (provided he was European, until 1995). It is therefore logical that Zinédine Zidane, star of the victorious French team in 1998, became the fourth French player to win the Ballon d'Or, after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin.
However, Julien Müller, who regularly shares analyzes of the great football moments on X, maintains that “Zizou”’s Ballon d’Or is not “indisputable”. He recalls that Zidane, revealed in Bordeaux, was not necessarily the most striking player at Juventus that year. Alessandro Del Piero, in particular, is often considered the true prodigy of Juve, Italian champions this season. Filippo Inzaghi and Edgar Davids also played key roles, as did French number 21 Zidane. Furthermore, Zidane failed to lead the Bianconeri to the Champions League title, failing in the final against Real Madrid (1-0).
Zidane in 98
During the 1998 World Cup, the number 10 of the French team, Zinédine Zidane, under the direction of Aimé Jacquet, made an impression in the final with a double header against Brazil (3-0). However, his performance during the competition remained mixed: he was sent off during the second match against Saudi Arabia, which deprived him of the following two matches. As Julien Müller points out, “At the 1998 World Cup, THE major event of the year, Zidane was not even in the five best players in his selection. No ranking, but Petit, Thuram, Desailly, Djorkaeff and Barthez are ahead of him. Crisp and clear. Before the final, Zidane's World Cup is standard. » Indeed, it is the French defenders and Djorkaeff who carry the team to the final.
In 1998, the title of best player in the world undeniably went to Ronaldo, the 21-year-old young prodigy, powerful striker for Inter Milan and the Brazilian national team. Nicknamed “Il Fenomeno”, Ronaldo is having an exceptional year. In Serie A, he scored 25 goals (only Oliver Bierhoff ahead of him) and won the UEFA Cup with Inter, scoring a memorable goal in the final against Lazio at the Parc des Princes. During the World Cup in France, he shined again, totaling four goals and three assists. He scored twice in the round of 16 against Chile and opened the scoring for Brazil in the semi-final against the Netherlands, helping to qualify on penalties. Unfortunately, on the day of the final, Ronaldo, weakened by health problems, was neutralized by Frank Leboeuf…