French legend Zinedine Zidane leaves the Paris court house following a hearing on Thursday.Photo: AFP
Zinedine Zidane was back in court Thursday, aiming to land a legal headbutt on a French humorist who described him as an advertising whore.
The legendary former footballer failed in a first defamation case against Christophe Aleveque but is seeking to have that ruling overturned on appeal.
In a January 2011 edition of the magazine SportMag, Aleveque was quoted as saying of Zidane: "This guy is a advertising board with three brain cells who cashes in on his image to an excessive degree.
"It is a form of prostitution. This guy is a whore."
For good measure Aleveque added that the hero of France's 1998 World Cup win and the anti-hero of the 2006 final defeat by Italy was "as thick as a dick."
Zidane, 40, told the appeal hearing the comments were "gratuitous and hurtful" to himself, his wife, children and parents.
"It is just not possible," he told the court in a barely audible voice.
Zidane is seeking a symbolic euro in damages, having dropped his initial demand for 75,000 euros ($100,000) damages to be paid to a charity of his choice.
A judgement on the appeal will be delivered on
March 7.
