By Gerald Fritsche Jun 19, 2006, 14:22 GMT
Leipzig, Germany - The biggest birthday gift France can give Zinedine Zidane on Friday is allowing him to play at least one more football match.
Zinedine Zidane of France during the group G preliminary match of 2006 FIFA World Cup France vs Korea Republic at the FIFA WM stadium Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, 18 June 2006. EPA/OLIVER WEIKEN
If not, the career of one of the greatest footballers will have ended on a sour note.
Zidane barged into a South Korean opponent during the 1-1 draw, which earned him his second yellow card of the tournament, making him ineligible for Friday's game with Togo which France likely needs to win to stay alive in the World Cup.
Zidane was then taken out of the match, leaving a football pitch for perhaps the last time 21 seconds into stoppage time and marching stone-faced past coach Raymond Domenech.
The playmaker turns 34 on Friday, and if France don't win it will be the end of its World Cup campaign and of Zidane's career.
A post-game statement from South Korea coach Dick Advocaat almost sounded like a farewell message for the three-time world footballer.
'There's only one Zidane. He was a truly world class player. I have nothing but the utmost admiration for him. He was a truly great player and person,' said Advocaat.
French daily Le Journal de la Haute-Marne on Monday spoke of 'the end of the great adventure' and Le Parisien said: 'His face does not radiate joy. He seemed tense for the entire match, like a bad omen.'
But Zidane himself would have none of this and rather has a feeling of deja vu about being suspended at the World Cup.
Back in 1998 he was sent off in the second game against Saudi Arabia, missing the final group match with Denmark and the round of 16 with Paraguay before returning against Italy.
The rest is history as France lifted the trophy 3-0 over Brazil with Zidane in the spotlight for good as a two-goal hero, a status he later confirmed with the Euro 2000 title and his winner for Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen.
'I hope the same thing will come out of it, the same ending. That would be perfect,' said Zidane after Sunday's game.
He insisted that he had wasted no time in thinking he had played his last match against South Korea.
'No! No, no, no. At no time did I think that. I think farther ahead, even when I leave a match. We will be under pressure until the end, and we want to go farther for those who are supporting us.'
But France has so far played not much better than at the 2002 edition in Japan/South Korea where it crashed out winless and scoreless in the first round.
France drew 0-0 with Switzerland last week but at least the scoring drought was broken on Sunday when Zidane fed Thierry Henry in his best moment of the match. A second goal from Patrick Vieira was not given although the ball appeared to have crossed the line.
Domenech and Vieira insisted that the ageing team is good enough to beat Togo, which would prolong Zidane's career.
'There is nothing to suggest that we will not beat Togo,' insisted Domenech, saying it was 'a shame' that Zidane is suspended for the game.
Vieira said: 'We are a strong side, and I think we will be too strong for Togo. We created enough chances against South Korea, and the problem is that we could not score.'
However, the class of 2006 is a far cry from that of 1998 - and Zidane's so far mediocre showings seemingly only underline that he did the right thing on April 26 by announcing his retirement after the World Cup because various ailments no longer allowed him to be at his best.
'This was by no means the saddest performance of the great Frenchman, but still a reminder that he is fading from genius to simple excellence, and that he cannot command the performance the way he used to,' said the International Herald Tribune on Monday.
L'Equipe agreed, saying: 'He passed and alternated good and bad moments. He even gave Henry the pass for (what could have been) the match winner five minutes from time.
'But he will be suspended against Togo after taking a second yellow card for a stupid foul,' L'Equipe said.
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