February 25, 200719 yr From the Intl Herald Tribune: CHIANG MAI, Thailand: French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane brushed off questions Saturday about whether he would come out of retirement to play in the United States and follow in the footsteps of former Real Madrid teammate David Beckham.Zidane was in Thailand for a charity match that was billed as his first match since the 2006 World Cup, where he famously headbutted an opponent during the final with Italy and ended his career with a red card. France went on to lose to Italy on penalty kicks. There has been speculation that the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year might follow Beckham's lucrative switch to play club soccer in the U.S. Zidane repeatedly refused to take questions about his future plans, and a member of his entourage told reporters that Zidane would not talk to them at all if such queries continued. "I've found a new world after retirement," Zidane told a news conference. "I'm very excited to experience new things such as playing in this match." The charity match was held in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, where Zidane joined players from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and several Thai celebrities. More than 20,000 fans packed the Chiang Mai Municipal Stadium, cheering on "Zizou," as Zidane is popularly known. Under a scorching sun, Zidane showed off a few of his old touches, chipping the ball over a Thai goalkeeper's head at one point and drawing a roar from the crowd. Before the match, a group of Thai children had the privilege of getting a coaching lesson from Zidane.
February 25, 200719 yr These always made me laugh. Hope they don't take too long to load. After the world cup, Zidane's headbutt:- As seen by the Germans As seen by the French As seen by the Italians As seen by the Americans As seen by the press
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