Zinédine Zidane: Istanbul masterclass lifts France amid Juventus woes in 2000 | OneFootball

In November 2000, amid Juventus troubles, Zinédine Zidane lit up Istanbul as France beat Türkiye 4-0.

As reported by L'Équipe, he was sent off on 24 October for a headbutt in a 1-3 Champions League defeat at Hamburg, and Juventus exited the group stage. The red card put paid to his Ballon d'Or hopes, and injury then kept him out of two France draws.

He returned on 15 November for a friendly in Istanbul on the road to the 2002 World Cup, with attention fixed on him as the squad moved on from Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc. Fabien Barthez, back from injury, said it felt strange without them.

For Zidane, the trip offered respite from problems and transfer rumours stoked by his own website, and he insisted he was not about to leave Juventus. He pointed to a fourth place in the league and called the Hamburg dismissal the blemish, while Youri Djorkaeff stayed away after France’s recognition of the Armenian genocide was poorly received in Türkiye.

Johan Micoud started alongside Zidane for the first time and it proved a triumph. With Zidane applauded in the warm-up, France quickly quietened the hosts. Steve Marlet, drafted in after Thierry Henry withdrew, made his debut and later recalled nerves but also a feeling of near-inevitability.

Before kick-off Roger Lemerre acknowledged Zidane’s club struggles. Afterwards he praised Zidane and Micoud. Micoud scored the third, his only France goal, and said the pair linked well, though this remained their only joint start.

Source: L'Équipe

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