PLAYER FILE #P00002Position: AM / CMClubs: Cannes · Bordeaux · Juventus · Real MadridStatus: Retired · File sealed

Player Database · Second Individual Profile

Zinedine Zidane: 17 Seasons, One Late-Blooming Curve

Name: Zinedine Zidane · Player File #P00002 — 17 Seasons, Every Attribute, Year by Year
Creator: BallFact
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Debut at 17 in Cannes, farewell at 34 in Berlin, four clubs, one curve. This page spreads his entire career out on one table — a full year-by-year attribute matrix, 17 rows × 43 columns. Peaks starred; not a single valley deleted. Maldini's greatness was never sliding down; Zidane's was different: every time the ledger looked settled, the curve climbed again.

1989/90 — 2005/06 · 17 seasons Scale 1–99 · Confidence L2 Signed: Bong Weng · The Archivist

Intro

Page One of the File

Zinedine Yazid Zidane, born in Marseille on 23 June 1972. May 1989, aged 16: a Cannes debut in Ligue 1; 8 February 1991: first league goal. Then four seasons of breakout at Bordeaux, five coronation seasons at Juventus, five farewell seasons at Real Madrid. 9 July 2006, Berlin, a World Cup final, a red card, retirement — aged 34.

This file cares about one thing: translating "greatness" into year-by-year numbers. He was a late bloomer — nobody filed him as a genius before 19. And he audits clean — the Ballon d'Or (1998), three FIFA World Player awards (1998 / 2000 / 2003), a Champions League, a World Cup, a Euros: every honour maps to a peak row you can find in the table below. Every season, every attribute.

Pro seasons · 4 clubs

108

France caps · 31 goals

Ballon d'Or (1998)

FIFA World Player

Retirement age

Main zone

Year-by-Year Attribute Matrix · 1989–2006

★ = peak season (this archive's ruling; criteria in the season grid below); ⇄ = transition season. Overall is position-weighted: the AM playmaker formula (PAS 16 · THR 12 · VIS 12 · FTO 10 · DRI 10 · SHD 6 · CMP 8 · BIG 8 · WOR 8 · STB 6 · LEA 4) applies across the career — full formulas in the attribute master table. Rows and columns cross-highlight; hover any header abbreviation for its definition.

Full career attribute snapshots · Scale 1–99FILE #P00002⬇ Download this dossier as CSV

Season	Age	Pos	MOBILITY				TECHNIQUE												PHYSICAL				DEFENDING							MENTAL							WILL				GOALKEEPER					OVR
			ACC	SPT	AGI	OFF	FIN	LSH	PAS	THR	CRO	SET	SHD	FTO	DRI	HEA	LFT	RFT	STA	STR	DUR	AIR	D1V	MAR	POS	AGR	ZON	INT	PRS	VIS	CMP	CON	LEA	STB	WOR	SHW	HGRL	WTW	DFZ	BIG	SAV	AER	CMD	DIS	ONE	OVR
1988/89	17		77	79	74	59	33	57	59	63	61	51	65	71	71	51	42	54	61	59	67	63	41	39	47	50	58	45	67	70	58	55	40	56	74	66	47	62	56	58	25	25	25	30	25	64
1989/90	17	AM	78	80	75	60	34	58	60	64	62	52	66	72	72	52	43	55	62	60	68	64	42	40	48	51	59	46	67	70	58	55	40	56	74	66	48	62	56	58	25	25	25	30	25	64
1990/91	18	AM	79	81	77	62	38	60	62	66	63	53	68	73	74	54	45	57	64	62	70	66	44	42	50	53	60	48	68	72	59	56	42	57	76	67	51	64	57	60	25	25	25	30	25	66
1991/92	19	AM	79	81	77	63	42	61	64	67	64	54	69	74	75	56	47	59	66	63	71	68	46	44	52	54	61	50	69	73	60	58	45	59	77	68	54	65	58	61	25	25	25	30	25	67
1992/93	20	AM	80	82	78	64	46	62	67	69	65	55	70	75	76	58	49	61	68	65	73	69	48	45	54	55	62	52	71	75	62	60	48	61	79	69	57	67	59	63	25	25	25	30	25	69
1993/94	21	AM	80	83	79	66	50	64	70	72	67	57	73	78	78	60	51	63	70	67	75	71	50	47	56	57	64	54	73	77	64	62	52	63	81	71	60	69	61	65	25	25	25	30	25	72
1994/95	22	AM	81	83	80	67	54	65	72	73	68	58	74	79	79	61	53	65	71	68	77	72	52	48	57	58	64	55	74	78	66	63	56	64	82	72	63	70	62	67	25	25	25	30	25	73
1995/96	23	AM	81	84	82	70	60	68	78	78	71	60	77	82	82	63	57	69	74	71	80	75	54	50	59	60	65	57	77	82	70	65	60	67	85	75	68	74	64	71	25	25	25	30	25	77
1996/97	24	CM	82	84	83	73	64	70	84	82	74	62	79	84	84	65	61	73	76	73	83	77	56	52	60	62	66	58	78	85	74	68	66	70	87	77	71	77	65	75	25	25	25	30	25	81
1997/98	25	CM	82	85	84	76	74	74	91	88	77	64	82	87	86	68	66	78	79	76	88	80	58	54	62	65	67	60	82	89	80	72	74	75	91	82	78	82	68	81	25	25	25	30	25	86
1998/99	26	CM	80	83	83	75	75	73	90	87	76	63	81	87	85	68	65	77	78	75	88	79	58	54	61	64	67	59	82	90	81	73	76	76	91	82	79	83	68	82	25	25	25	30	25	86
1999/00	27	CM	80	83	83	76	77	75	91	88	77	63	82	88	86	68	67	79	79	76	89	80	58	54	61	65	67	59	83	91	83	74	79	78	92	83	81	85	69	84	25	25	25	30	25	87
2000/01	28	CM	78	81	81	74	74	73	89	86	75	62	81	87	84	68	65	77	77	74	88	78	57	53	60	63	66	58	81	89	81	72	77	76	90	81	78	83	68	81	25	25	25	30	25	85
2001/02	29	CM	77	81	81	75	73	74	90	87	76	62	81	88	85	67	65	77	77	74	89	79	57	53	60	63	66	58	82	90	82	72	78	76	91	81	78	84	68	82	25	25	25	30	25	86
2002/03	30	CM	74	78	80	76	78	76	94	92	79	64	83	91	85	67	69	81	77	74	93	80	58	54	60	63	66	59	86	95	87	76	84	80	95	84	82	88	71	87	25	25	25	30	25	90
2003/04	31	CM	72	76	78	74	76	74	93	90	77	62	82	90	83	67	67	79	75	73	93	79	57	53	59	62	65	58	85	94	86	75	83	79	94	83	80	87	71	86	25	25	25	30	25	89
2004/05	32	CM	70	73	76	72	70	72	91	88	75	60	81	89	81	66	64	76	73	72	92	78	56	52	58	61	65	57	84	93	85	74	81	78	93	80	76	86	70	84	25	25	25	30	25	87
2005/06	33	CM	68	71	75	73	75	74	97	93	77	62	82	92	82	66	68	80	72	72	80	76	57	53	58	61	65	58	70	92	94	80	97	86	78	96	80	88	59	91	25	25	25	30	25	90

How to read this table: pick two columns and compare. Sprint speed (SPT) falls from 80 to 71 — late bloomers pay the body's bill early too; nobody escapes. But in the same window, Passing (PAS) climbs from 60 to 97 and Composure (CMP) from 58 to 94. Most players are fixed at 25; his ledger was still growing at 30. 1996/97 is where the two lines cross — from that season on, he stopped booking minutes with his legs and started booking them with his head. That is why half a season after announcing retirement at 33, the overall was back at 90. A legend is not someone who never declines — it is someone whose decline stays auditable on the books.

The ledger, visualised

The handover ceremony between legs and brain

Zidane · SPT (sprint speed) vs PAS (passing) · by season1989/90 — 2005/06

SPT · the body's exit curvePAS · the brain's takeover curve

Around 1996 the two lines cross: from that season on, his ledger stopped depending on the legs. One line drifts down, the other climbs all the way — yet the overall stays parked at the top. The Maldini file logged the same handover; Zidane simply did it later, and steeper.

Zidane · position-weighted overall (OVR), key milestonesScale 1–99

Debut season at Cannes · 17

Bordeaux breakout 1995/96

First Juventus season 1996/97

World Cup year 1997/98

Madrid zenith 2002/03

Farewell season 2005/06

Thirteen years from 64 to 90 — and back at 90 in the season he announced his retirement. The only "farewell as peak" curve in this archive; its month-by-month audit lives in Truth Lab case 004.

Season grid

17 Seasons, 17 Verdicts

1989/9017AM

Cannes. A substitute kid at a small club; somebody at the academy starts keeping notes on his feet.

1990/9118AM

8 February 1991: first Ligue 1 goal. The club president had promised a car for a goal — he got the car.

1991/9219AM

Locked in as a starter. Cannes go down at season's end; he doesn't go down with them — the upward road is already paved.

1992/9320AM

⇄ Moves to Bordeaux. A bigger club, heavier duels; the technical midfielder starts getting remembered nationally.

1993/9421AM

Bordeaux's core takes shape; the front unit with Dugarry and Lizarazu books the upper half of Ligue 1.

1994/9522AM

17 August 1994, France debut vs the Czechs — on at 0–2 down, two goals, 2–2. From this night, France's No.10 has a name.

1995/9623AM

Peak #1 · UEFA Cup runners-up: AC Milan eliminated, Bayern in the final. His first European final — and his ticket out of the provinces. Selected the same year for this site's 1996 World Best XI.

1996/9724CM

⇄ Signs for Juventus; a slow adaptation to Serie A, then all of Turin changes its tune. This season is the crossover between the legs' ledger and the brain's.

1997/9825CM

Peak #2 · Serie A title + the 1998 World Cup: two headers in the final against Brazil. France crowned; the world starts keeping books.

1998/9926CM

Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player both posted. The ledger enters its single-name era.

1999/0027CM

Peak #3 · Euro 2000: dominant throughout, golden goal in the final. This archive's ruling: his strongest single tournament for the national team.

2000/0128CM

Juventus lose the title on the last day; his personal numbers dip slightly but don't break. The summer's theme is: leave.

2001/0229CM

⇄ World-record fee to Real Madrid. 15 May, Glasgow: the Champions League final volley — the one goal of his career that needs no explanation. Then a World Cup played injured, France out in the group — the quietest season on the ledger.

2002/0330CM

Peak #4 · career zenith: La Liga title, key output across the Champions League run. This archive's ruling: 93, the table's highest — at 30, an age when others are long fixed.

2003/0431CM

Peak #5 · La Liga delivered; the team starts showing late-season fatigue while his passing column keeps climbing.

2004/0532CM

A trophy-less year. The press starts discussing retirement; he doesn't answer — the ledger logs one steady line.

2005/0633CM

Peak #6 · retirement announced at the Bernabéu on 7 May, followed by a second wind and a World Cup Golden Ball. The month-by-month audit lives in Truth Lab case 004.

Milestones

Marks Beyond the Ledger

1994.08.17

France debut: two goals off the bench. For the next twelve years, France's attacking ledger is denominated in him.

1996

Selected for this site's 1996 World Best XI at No.8, composite 92 — see the attribute master table and Dossier #0396.

1998.07.12

World Cup final, two headers, 3–0 against Brazil. The largest single posting of his career, booked at the Stade de France.

2002.05.15

The Champions League final volley. The one goal numbers cannot measure — the ledger registers it separately: not scored, just noted.

2006.07.09

Berlin. The red card in the 110th minute ended his 108th cap after 19 minutes of extra time. This archive does not defend that moment — the audit only records: even great ledgers can carry one line that never balances. Full examination in case 004.

Archivist's note

Why He Was the Second File

BONG WENG The Archivist

The first file tested Maldini — the greatness of never sliding down. The second tests the other kind: the greatness that keeps climbing after the ledger looks settled. Before 19, no scout's report filed him as a genius; before 23, his composite hadn't touched the threshold of this site's Best XI. Then Turin, Glasgow, Madrid — and every time everyone assumed the books were closed, the curve lifted its head again.

I never watched him at his peak — another career I came to know through the ledger. But the ledger doesn't lie: a midfielder with barely 80 pace used two ascending curves — passing and decisions — to turn decline into a second prime. Others call that elegance; I call it leaving a little more on the books every year.

Someone will always say “the playmaker in my heart is better than him.” Fine — put your man's 17-year ledger on the table and I'll go line by line with you. This archive takes no appeals without a ledger. It never has. This page is a template, and a warning: every player who enters this archive will go through this. Peaks starred, valleys kept, no editing the curve.

For the record · unaudited

On that July night in 1998, countless teenagers around the world — me among them, having never seen him play before — watched a bald midfielder finish a World Cup final with two headers. Over the following two decades that generation grew into very different lives: some never watched another match, some still cite that night as their proof that miracles exist. The scoreline may blur, but the feeling stays: football can be dominated like that. Every generation gets its own Zidane moment; the ledger's job is to make sure the next generation can still audit the original numbers of that night.

— Bong Weng, Archivist · BallFact

Note: the paragraph above is unaudited, and doesn't need to be. This one sentence is true: somebody has to be responsible for remembering.

Don't tell me legends. Show me the ledger.

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Player File #P00001 · Paolo Maldini

The farewell season, month by month →

Truth Lab case 004 · Zidane 2006