Vaudeville Smash refresh Zidane anthem, still hail him as ‘the strongest of them all’ | OneFootball

Australian disco-funk outfit Vaudeville Smash, formed in 2009, have revived their 2014 track honouring Zinédine Zidane, keeping the line hailing him as “the strongest of them all” and watching his start as France head coach.

According to L'Équipe, Melbourne brothers Marc, Luca and Dan Lucchesi recorded a new version last summer, adding brass yet leaving the words intact. For any future tweak they have floated names such as Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

Their affection began around his Juventus years. After seeing a 3-3 against Fiorentina in 2001, Luca called him a magician. The 2006 World Cup final split loyalties, not admiration.

The song emerged in 2013 from a garage jam, then on the eve of the 2014 World Cup they wrote verses listing Van Basten and Del Piero alongside Messi and Suárez. They enlisted Les Murray and name-checked Mark Bosnich, hoping for a TV nod that never came.

The track drew 2 million views in two years, returns at each World Cup and spiked during Real Madrid’s Champions League hat-trick from 2016 to 2018. It sits at 31.2 million on YouTube, with parodies, including an Odegaard spin, and hopes of an EA Sports FC slot.

Time-zone bound, Luca has caught only highlights of Zidane’s first two games, calling it the best start and loving his touchline swing after Olise scored. He thinks France will be too strong in Paris, though Italy looked better against Türkiye, and wants both to advance in the Nations League.

Source: L'Équipe

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