Real fans give Zidane emotional Bernabeu send-off
Zinedine Zidane was given an emotional send-off by Real Madrid fans on Sunday when he played his last match at the Bernabeu before his retirement after the World Cup.
An 80,000 capacity crowd paid tribute to the 33-year-old midfielder by holding up a vast, white mosaic made up of shirts emblazoned with his name and the number five ahead of Real's league match against Villarreal.
The Frenchman was given a standing ovation by the crowd while the video screens played highlights of his five-year career with the Spanish giants.
The player himself looked somewhat embarrassed by the tribute. He kept his head down and carried on with his warm-up exercises but briefly acknowledged the crowd before the match got underway.
Zidane's team mates all wore a shirt specially made for the occasion with "Zidane 2001-2006" embroidered below the club crest.
The midfielder joined Real for a world-record transfer fee of $66 million from Juventus in 2001, having been targeted by then club president Florentino Perez as a key part of his plans to construct a "Galactico" superteam for the club's centenary season.
He had a difficult start at Real but soon became an integral part of the team and proved to be the most influential player in their run to the European Cup final where he scored a stunning winner in the 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden.
The victory enabled Zidane to complete an impressive collection of winners' medals for club and country which included the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000.
He helped Real to win the league title in 2003, the club's last trophy, but his powers have been on the wane since then and at the end of April he announced his intention to retire after the World Cup.
"I've really enjoyed these five years," Zidane was quoted as saying in the programme for the Villarreal match.
"There have been some bad times, but it will be the good ones I will always remember. I came here hoping to win the European Cup and I can leave happy as I have done that."
"I've got great memories of that game and I also had the good luck to score that goal in Glasgow. I'll never forget that moment."
"My departure forms part of football, I'm not afraid of retirement. I'm proud of my career because I've played with two of the biggest teams, Real Madrid and Juventus, and I've won a lot of trophies."
"I've always been a very competitive player and done all I can to win and I haven't been doing that recently. I'm retiring because I can no longer offer Real Madrid Zidane at 100 percent."
Zidane and former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano will be given a joint tribute on Tuesday.
Real will play Stade Reims, the side they beat to win the first of their nine European Cups in 1956, at the reserve team ground in Valdebebas which has been named after the Argentine.
Zidane will play his last match for Real in next week's league match at Sevilla before hooking up with the France squad for the World Cup, which starts on June 9.