Zidane comes top in French popularity poll

Real Madrid and France football star Zinedine Zidane has been named the top French personality in a a popularity poll published here Sunday, ahead of a string of crooners and other glitterati.

The silky-skilled ethnic-Algerian midfield star was last month named FIFA player of the year for the third time. Singer Michel Sardou came second in the French poll, results of which were aired on French television late Saturday and published in the Journal du Dimanche, with TV personality Nicolas Hulot beating veteran rocker Johnny Hallyday into third place.

Also making it into the top ten were ex-tennis great turned pop star Yannick Noah (7th) and actress and former Bond-girl Sophie Marceau (10th). Film star Gerard Depardieu snuck into the top 20 at number 19, while French President Jacques Chirac could only manage 42nd place, 21 places down on his showing in the corresponding poll published last June.

Any rising French starlet feeling aggrieved at failing to make the list can take some comfort in the fact that the poll of 1,007 respondents was taken by the IFOP polling firm last November.