Zinédine Zidane’s August 2005 return that reignited France’s 2006 saga | OneFootball

A new documentary, 9 juillet 2006, retraces France’s 2006 World Cup story, beginning with Zinédine Zidane’s decision on 3 August 2005 to end his international retirement.

The announcement stunned the game, appearing on his website around 16:00 as he declared he was returning to the Bleus.

He had vowed not to come back after retiring following the Euro 2004 quarter-final defeat by Greece, 0-1. At 33, he reversed course, setting in motion a tale that would climax the following summer with a notorious final.

His comeback, mirrored by Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram, arrived with France fourth midway through qualifying after four draws in six, three of them 0-0, and with Raymond Domenech under fire.

As motives were debated, Zidane offered a striking explanation: "What is happening to me is quite mystical and I do not fully grasp it. It is even irrational. One night, at three in the morning, I suddenly woke and spoke with someone... It was an irresistible force. I had to obey that voice." He said this in France Football.

Overwhelmed by the reaction, he later said that person was simply his brother, yet the intrigue endured. Weeks on, France secured direct qualification with a 1-0 win in Dublin on 7 September, a 1-1 draw in Bern and a 4-0 defeat of Cyprus.

Eight months later, he would play the final, scoring a panenka and producing the headbutt that the film unpacks in detail.

Source: L'Équipe