Zinedine Zidane Called France Teammate ‘Son of a B****’ in Furious Row
Zinedine Zidane once called an international teammate a 'son of a b****' during a tense Champions League match.
Zidane is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, scoring twice in the 1998 World Cup final as France defeated Brazil 3-0.
He also enjoyed a decorated club career, playing for both Cannes and Bordeaux in France before joining Italian giants Juventus.
In 2001, he made a world-record move to Real Madrid, as part of Florentino Perez's push for 'Galactico' signings during his first spell as club president.
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Zidane shone in his first season in Spain, winning both La Liga and the Champions League, with his iconic volley in the final still regarded as one of the greatest goals ever.
However, Real Madrid struggled in Europe over the following seasons and did not reach another final for more than a decade.
In the 2003-04 season, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by AS Monaco.
Despite winning the first leg 4-2 and taking the lead in the return fixture in France, Monaco scored three times without reply to advance to the semi-finals on away goals.
During the game, Zidane was involved in a heated exchange with Monaco winger Jerome Rothen, who he would go on to play alongside at that summer's European Championship.
In his autobiography, Rothen recalled an incident that took place in the final moments of that Champions League tie.
He wrote: "It was a foul and I went down. Admittedly I made a bit more of it, but anyone would have done the same, as we were trying to buy some seconds.
"Zidane leant over me and said: 'Get up, you son of a bitch.'
"I was surprised but put it down to his frustration, and I expected him to apologise at the end of the game, but he said nothing.
"I thought the next time we saw each other with the France team he would say sorry, and then it would be forgotten, but he didn't and that disappointed me."
In 2020, Rothen admitted the incident remained a 'black point' in his career, but he still felt Zidane had crossed the line.
Despite the tension between the pair, Rothen later issued a public plea for Zidane to take over at PSG in 2022.
After the French giants crashed out of the Coupe de France on penalties under Mauricio Pochettino, the former PSG winger told RMC Sport he believed Zidane could be the club's 'saviour'.
Zidane has not managed a team since 2021, when he left Real Madrid for the second time.
Despite being linked with several major jobs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, he has so far resisted a return to management.
However, speculation remains that he will take over as head coach of the French national team following next summer's World Cup.
Topics: Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid, AS Monaco, Champions League, Football
James Taylor