Zinedine Zidane has left an indelible mark on the French team. His two goals scored against Brazil in the World Cup final in 1998 put him in the pantheon of French sport and his figure was sometimes intimidating for his young teammates.
Guest of the Kampo podcast, Philippe Mexès also remembered his first selection for the French team when he was only 20 years old. “ My first selection was in Cyprus (Editor's note: in Malta, October 22, 2002) and when I return, there is Zidane on the field. I don't totally realize it. It's a dream that I'm realizing, so I was paralyzed. I don't know where to put myself, I don't know who I am. I wonder what I'm doing here “, he said.
But according to the former Auxerrois, Zinedine Zidane took great care of the new players of the France team. This is evidenced by his nice gesture towards the native of Toulouse when the latest hi-tech innovations were presented to them at Clairefontaine. “A person arrived in Clairefontaine with the new phones, the new Motorola, the new Nokia, the portable DVD with the 3-hour battery… I couldn’t buy that. With a new contract, you keep your money”he explained
The generosity of Zinédine Zidane
“Zidane said to Nino (Wiltord’s nickname): ‘What are you giving him as a gift? You give a gift to Djibril (Cissé) and me to Philippe.' I hadn't taken anything, I was ashamed, I couldn't accept that. I'm uncomfortable”he continued, adding: “In the evening, I am in my room, I hear a knock. Zinedine enters. He had a portable DVD with the 3 hour battery next to it. And he said to me: 'Here's a present.' »
Zinedine Zidane's gesture deeply marked Philippe Mexès. “I was moved, shocked. There I saw the person it was”he whispered, nevertheless admitting to having rarely been happy in the France team. The fault in particular lies with Raymond Domenech. “I couldn't see him, whether in the Espoirs or in the French team, I never liked him, he said about it. I didn't feel well. 'The ram doesn't play with the scorpion, the scorpion doesn't play with the bull…' For me, it's not football, we're not in the theater. »
