Zidane on Juventus, Del Piero and joining Real Madrid: ‘Now or never’ | OneFootball

Zinedine Zidane has spoken about his career with Juventus, his time playing with the legendary Alessandro Del Piero, and the night with Florentino Perez that led to his joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2001.

The legendary former midfielder was one of the guest speakers at the Festival dello Sport in Trento over the weekend, along with the likes of Luciano Spalletti, Roberto Mancini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, among countless others.

Zidane talks Juventus: ‘In France you could get away with losing away, at Juve, never’

24 Mar 2000: Zinedine Zidane of Juventus during the Italian Serie A game between Milan and Juventus at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. The game finished 2-0 to Milan. Mandatory Credit: Claudio Villa /Allsport

Zidane said that he came to understand the true importance of winning after joining Juventus from Bordeaux in 1996.

“It was beautiful. When I came from France, the football was great, but not as great as it was at Juve. I came to understand what winning meant there, the fact that we had to do it all the time, even away from home. In France, you could get away with losing away. At Juve, never,” he said.

The 1998 World Cup winner remembers with particular fondness the personal relationship he enjoyed with former Juventus chief Gianni Agnelli.

“The thing that impressed me is that when I had a good game, we’d get back at four in the morning. He’d call me at six, would speak to me in French and would compliment me on my performance. These are the sorts of things that made him a gentleman.”

Among the best players that Zidane played with during his five years with Juventus was club icon Del Piero.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 05: Alessandro Del Piero looks on alongside The FIFA Club World Cup Trophy during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Draw at Telemundo Studios on December 05, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)

“(He was) very good, one of the strongest you’ve ever had in Italy,” Zidane said. “I was lucky to have several years with him, and lots of others, too, like Padovano, Vieri, Boksic. Alex had something special, though.”

Zidane was asked why Juventus, at one of their strongest points in history, were unable to win the Champions League in the late mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s.

“The Champions League is tough, it’s difficult to make it to the end. We made it twice and lost in two finals. It depends on the club, what it wants to do, because if you want to win, you need to have lots of things in place and have the club behind it.”

And speaking about his decision to join Real Madrid in 2001, Zidane explained that it all came down to a dinner with Florentino Perez.

“We were at a gala dinner in Munich. Florentino was there, with 30 or 40 other people. He handed me a napkin with words written on it, asking if I wanted to come to Real. I thought, either I go now, or I will stay at Juve forever.”