Modesty key to Zidane success - Platini

Michel Platini has paid tribute to his successor as France's football darling, Zinedine Zidane, and says modesty is the reason for his success.

Platini, who inspired France along with his fellow great midfielders to the 1984 European title and two successive World Cup semi-finals, both lost to West Germany, claimed Zidane had the potential to win many more accolades, after he levelled the score at 3-3 for the Onze football magazine's European Player of the Year this week.

Platini said: "At the moment the differences with Zinedine are that he has won a World Cup and he is playing in Spain, whereas I never did."

Platini, who is set to be admitted to UEFA's executive committee and is a close confidant of FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter, added: "Zinedine is the business because he never arrives at a club and declares 'here I am, all of you move aside because the best player in the world has arrived'."

"Instead he settles into the club, assimilates with the locals and then starts to turn on the gas as he mixes in with the style of play engineered by the manager of that particular club."

"Look at what he achieved at Juventus, where there were many different stars, and what they achieved (one European Cup and two final defeats) and what looks to be about to happen at Real. That is the proof."