But that goal is hardly the be-all and end-all of Zinedine Zidane. For in a career littered with spotlights, the man of Kabyle ethnicity and son of Algerian immigrants did more than most even dare to dream of.

So, where to begin? Do you start with his irrefutable impact on two different World Cup finals? Or do you start with saying how Zidane's appeal transcends the religious and racial divide in one of the most tense multi-ethnic societies in Europe? Do you start by speaking of his undeniable brilliance or his fatal character flaw for which he is both loved and loathed?

In the end its only fitting to start at the beginning and how all this could so nearly not have been.

Born into what is known in France as a quartier difficile or, a sensitive zone, the backstreets of the notorious La Castellane in Marseilles is where Zidane learnt his trade and inimitable football skills that would later enchant the world. La Castellane is also what he most identifies himself with, as in a subsequent interview Zidane spoke of how he was first and foremost "a Kabyle from La Castellane."

As a kid plying his trade in the youth teams of US Saint-Henri and Septemes Sports Olympiques, Zidane dreamed of pulling on the kits of Olympique Marseille, but it was with AS Cannes that he got his first chance, after the Marseille academy famously rejected him for being 'too slow and fragile.'

And to complete the enigmatic streak in his characteristic, playing for his hometown club was a dream that Zidane would never go on to realise.

His stay at Cannes was supposed to be for four-weeks but he ended up staying for four years before swapping to ironically, Marseille's big rivals, Girondins de Bordeaux in 1992.

At Bordeaux he met Christoph Dugarry and Bixenti Lizarazu and they along with the fair-haired Emanuele Petit would go on to form a partnership on and off the field that led them to being dubbed the "Four Musketeers." It was also at Bordeaux that coach Rolland Courbis gave Zidane the nickname of "Zi Zou" -- a name that sticks with him to this day.

All four were to later form the backbone of the team that went on to win the World Cup in 1998, courtesy of two headed goals in the final from Zidane himself.

But before that Zidane first caught the eye when he inspired Bordeaux into the final of the UEFA Cup in 1996 where they lost to Bayern Munich.

His exploits were enough to earn him a transfer to Italian giants Juventus for 3 million pounds. Johan Cryuff and Barcelona were also said to be in the running but he chose the team from Turin instead.

At Turin, Zidane evolved into a player of some repute finally establishing himself as a world beater playing alongside the likes of Didier Deschamps and Edgar Davids. He twice won the Scudetto featuring heavily both times and weighing in with some superlative goals. With Juventus, Zidane also reached two consecutive Champions League finals but lost both, firstly to Borussia Dortmund and the second to Real Madrid. The losses prompted Zidane to vow that he would win the Champions League one day.

Zidane burst into the world scene with his two headed goals in the World Cup final in Paris in 1998, proving for the first time that there was greatness hidden away behind the shy and unassuming demeanour.

Further evidence of his greatness was proved in Euro 2000 when an inspirational Zidane was at his unstoppable best in the French march to the title. True it was a great France team but the enduring image of that tournament will doubtless be of Zidane's slaloming run from the edge of his own box as he skipped and pirouetted around almost the entire Portuguese team. That was Zidane at his best, a figure of intense authority and one whom you could count on when the chips were down. He was at a level above the mere mortals and it was a fact close friend Bixenti Lizarazu was aware of when he famously remarked, "When you don't know what to do with the ball, give it to Zidane."

The story goes that Zidane arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2001, thanks to a napkin upon which then president Florentino Perez had written "Do you want to play for Real Madrid?" and passed round a table at the Monte Carlo sports club -- a napkin upon which Zidane then wrote "Yes", in English, and passed back. That and the small sum of 78 million Euros, which Juventus pocketed for letting go of their gem.

At Real, Zidane became the jewel in the crown, the chief 'galactico' and his partnership with Roberto Carlos in a team also featuring Ronaldo and Luis Figo will go down in folklore. It was at Real also that Zidane came full circle and kept his vow of winning the Champions League. And like all great players, Zidane himself made the difference scoring a goal that many recognise as the best ever to settle any final.

Post 2002, Zidane's career took a dip as he watched injured on the sidelines as the defending champions exited at the first round in the 2002 World Cup. Euro 2004 started brightly and again it was Zidane leading from the front with two goals against England but they bowed out to eventual champions Greece in the quarterfinal and Zidane bid international football a premature goodbye.

Zidane played out his contract at Real till 2006 and then bid the club an emotional goodbye as fans across the Bernabeu shouted 'merci' while the players sported jerseys with the message "Zidane 2001-2006."

The talisman did not stay away for long as he returned in full flight and helped France qualify for the 2006 World Cup. What happened this summer in Germany also further evidenced why Zidane is who he is.

His imperious performances against Brazil and Portugal and his audacious goal in the final against Italy underlined him for what he is -- a genius. His headbutt of Marco Materazzi showed him for what he also is -- a mere mortal. That is why Zidane is an enigma and this is why the humble Frenchman has such a following.

His football is elegant and masterful, charged with technique and vision. But he can still erupt into shocking violence that is as sudden as it is inexplicable. This streak of impudence and impetuosity and his tempestuous attitude on the pitch have won him quite a lot of detractors. Many point out that he has been sent off 14 times in his career. However it would be wrong to remember Zidane for his flaws. After all, Hitler loved his dog, but we don't remember him for it.

The word Zidane in Arabic means "an overabundance of." And if there is anything that Zinedine Zidane has an overabundance of, it is talent and unbreakable belief in himself. Also he has not forgotten his roots. At Juventus, Gianni Agnelli and his entourage were dazzled by his football but baffled by his reluctance to take advantage of the rewards on offer in Turin -- the girls, the nightclubs, the cars. Unlike Michel Platini, loved by the Juve fans as much for his flamboyant wit as for his football, Zidane was remote, inscrutable, devoted to his wife, his extended family and his children. Plus he had a very personal understanding of the things that really mattered in life.

These are the traits that helped make a fragile and slow boy from Marseilles into a legend of epic proportions. The story of Zinedine Zidane is of a man who lives life on his own terms; a fact evident even when he danced his last waltz in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Some say Zidane left in shame but if you ask him all he would probably do would smile and say, "c'est la vie." (this is life).