Joel Richards 

The Galactico era was in full swing at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Florentino Perez had already orchestrated the controversial purchase of Luis Figo from Barcelona in 2000 in a bid to usher in a new dawn for Real Madrid. But in 2001, Perez’s project gathered further momentum.

For the second consecutive summer, the world-record transfer fee was smashed as Zinedine Zidane swapped Juventus for Real in a deal worth €77.5 million; Perez’s project was gathering momentum. In Zidane, Los Blancos were signing proven quality who had established himself in Italy, and more notably in France’s all-conquering World Cup and European Championship-winning sides.

Within 12 months, Zizou had already made his mark in the Spanish capital. A key cornerstone of the Real midfield, Zidane’s jaw-dropping volley in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayer Leverkusen sealed a 2-1 victory and the club’s 9th European Cup.

It is a goal that still astounds to this day, especially as it was scored with Zidane’s supposed weaker left foot. A cross from the left courtesy of Roberto Carlos hung in the air for what appeared to be an age before the Frenchman perfectly executed a volley that fired past Leverkusen goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt.

Further success followed for Zidane and Real in 2002-03 as the La Liga title was won with a final day victory over Athletic Bilbao. Alongside Figo, Zidane was part of a midfield pairing that was the envy of Europe and were supplemented further forward by latest Galactico recruit Ronaldo.

Despite the addition of David Beckham in the summer of 2003, the Galactico era was falling apart. The controversial decision to sack Vicente Del Bosque and the departures of key figures such as Fernando Hierro and Claude Makelele led to a downturn in fortunes that ultimately meant Zidane wouldn’t taste any further success in Spain.

His thoughts were clear: “There’s a lot of players leaving when the normal rule is: never change a winning team.”

In a lean period with numerous managerial changes, the Marseille native would be a leading light that continued to shine even in the twilight years of his career. Blessed with such grace and awareness when it came to ball retention, Zidane’s elegant movement and playmaking ability were evidence of his claims as one of the all-time greats.

The 2005-06 season would prove to be his last as a professional, and he continued to assert his influence over the side with his first hat-trick against Sevilla a notable highlight. On 7 May 2006, Zidane bowed out with a goal in Real’s 3-3 draw against Villarreal and his status as a Bernabeu icon was firmly secured. 

Although Zidane has since further cemented his legacy with a La Liga title and three consecutive Champions League triumphs as a Real manager, his feats as a player will always be fondly remembered for those associated with the Spanish giants.