Zinedine Zidane reveals his toughest opponent in chat with Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Highlights

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, in a brilliant, must-watch chat with Lionel Messi, has revealed who the toughest opponent he ever faced was. The Frenchman, rated the fourth-best footballer of the 2000s, endured a glittering career and, at the peak of his powers, could be considered one of the sport’s greatest. He oozed elegance and made skipping past players look like second nature.

Zinedine Zidane's beautiful words to describe Messi

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Zidane’s career was very illustrious and, as such, he came up against some very tough opponents while plying his trade for an array of sides: Madrid, Juventus and the French national team. Previously, it was the former Manchester United and England midfield maestro Paul Scholes that he had opted for, claiming in 2011 that he was ‘the greatest midfielder of his generation’.

Years down the line, it seems as if the 51-year-old’s opinion has changed, and he's now revealed to Messi - the player to rack up the most Ballon d’Or points of all time - the duo that he now considers his toughest ever opponents.

Zidane reveals toughest opponents

Zidane and Messi teamed up for Adidas for a video called ‘WHEN ZINEDINE ZIDANE MET LIONEL MESSI’ and it has gone viral on YouTube. One clip in particular, however, has begun to do the rounds as the Frenchman revealed – when prompted by Messi - who the two toughest players were in his heyday. And spoiler alert: it’s not Scholes.

Zidane opted for AC Milan legend Maldini, who is included in Ronaldo Nazario’s greatest-ever XI, as his first pick and commended his intelligence and high on-pitch IQ. Given the legendary status that the Italian holds at the San Siro and around the world after making 901 appearances for the Rossoneri, it is hardly a surprise to see Zidane pick him out as a pain to play against.

Nor is it surprising to see him giving props to his compatriot Lilian Thuram, too. A World Cup winner alongside Zidane, the former Juventus and Parma defender experienced success wherever he went, and is still regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the 21st century. Two solid choices there, Zinedine. You can watch the clip and the full video on YouTube below.

Zidane could be in line for Man Utd job

Of course, for all of Zidane’s terrific work on the pitch, it would be remiss to overlook how well he performed on the touchline. Upon his return to Madrid, this time in a neatly steamed suit, he just about won the absolute lot, including La Liga twice, the Champions League three times, Supercopa de Espana twice, the Super Cup twice and the Club World Cup twice. Having called time on his managerial career at the club in 2021, he is now ranked the best manager currently out of work and could look to work his way back into the crowd, despite turning down the Marseille job in September.

The Manchester United job, currently upheld by Erik ten Hag, could appeal to the former midfielder given the heat on the Dutchman after a turbulent start to the 2023/24 campaign. In the past, Zidane has flirted with the option of taking over the Old Trafford dugout, but admitted that his poor English skills could be a hindrance.

On top of that, transfer insider Dean Jones recently spoke to GIVEMESPORT about the possibility of Zidane replacing the struggling Ten Hag and revealed that Zidane has no urge to manage in the Premier League. Therefore, he would not exactly jump at the chance of taking charge of the 'most pressurised job in England', and we continue to wait for the French icon to return to the sport.