Zi ‧ dane, Zi ‧ né ‧ dine /zɪˈdæn $ -ˈdɑːn, zɪneˈdiːn/ BrE AmE
(1972–) a French football player who became the most expensive player in the world when he moved from the Italian team Juventus to the Spanish team Real Madrid in 2001. He was in the French national team that won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000. He was considered to be one of the best players in the world. He was voted FIFA World Player of the Year three times and European Player of the Year once. He ↑ retire d after ↑ captain ing France to the 2006 World Cup Final when he was sent off for ↑ headbutt ing defender Marco Materazzi.