When he rose to send two bullet-like headers past Brazil's goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel in the 3-0 victory in the final of the 1998 World Cup in Paris, Zidane also won a place in French hearts forever more.

His performance in the final was redemption after he had been sent off in the group stage for stomping on a Saudi Arabian player. That showcased a familiar aspect of Zidane's character a fiery streak that helps him succeed but also hinders his greatness but endears him all that much more to the people. His performance alongside his group of close friends, Emanuelle Petit, Bixenti Lizarazu and Christoph Dugarry led to press labelling them as the "Four Musketeers." And all four played an integral part as France bought home the trophy that had eluded them forever.

When he announced his retirement from international football at age 32 after Euro 2004, the nation's football fans went into mourning.

However in a shock decision, he announced in August 2005, he would return to the heart of the French midfield in a bid to help his country's flagging qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup.

Hailed as 'the saviour', the news transformed the spirits of the country and suddenly the disappointment of losing the Olympics to London was forgotten with Zidane's announcement equivalent for many to hitting the jackpot in Monte Carlo.

It was a successful decision as France followed the leadership of the inspirational Zidane and booked their ticket to Germany where fans can look forward to one last look at his unique talents on the world stage.

Zidane was born in Marseille in 1972 of Algerian parents and was just 16 when he broke into top-flight football along the Mediterranean coast at Cannes.

Within two years he had broken into the national side, scoring twice on his debut against the Czech Republic in August 1994 to haul France back into a match they had been losing 2-0.

He was part of the Bordeaux side that enjoyed a run to the UEFA Cup final in 1996 before losing to Bayern Munich, putting in performances that inspired Juventus to pay four million dollars for him.

There, Zidane tasted real success, winning two Italian championships, two Intercontinental Cups and the European Super Cup.

If Zidane-mania reached stratospheric heights in 1998 it disappeared into space in 2000 as he inspired France to an unprecedented back-to-back success at Euro 2000.

He was voted World Footballer of the Year (1998, 2000 and 2003) and only a handful of clubs were big enough for him. Real Madrid broke the bank with a phenomenal 63.6 million dollars bid for his services in July 2000.

Zidane further established his talents in the world stage when he scored a truly world class goal, a blistering left-footed volley, in the final of the 2002 European Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen, and Real's victory meant Zidane had won the only major title still missing from his extraordinary list of achievements.

Unfortunately the 2002 World Cup was a rare disappointment as an injury on the eve of the tournament meant he played just one match as France crashed out.

Back at Real, he continued to sparkle and the team won another Spanish title in 2003.

Euro 2004 appeared to be his last major tournament and though a lacklustre France were beaten by eventual winners Greece in the quarter-finals, his two last gasp goals in a 2-1 win over England in the group stage were one of the highlights.

French pride has been wounded in recent seasons but confidence is returning sharply spurned by Zidane and if the team goes to Germany with the likes of Henry, Vieira, Trezeguet not to mention Gallas, Thuram and Makelele, this side will once again be a contender for one of the biggest prizes in sport.