Zidane Named World Cup Best Player Despite Worst Behavior

French captain Zinedine Zidane was ejected in the 110th minute of the final World Cup game when he delivered a vicious head butt to the chest of Marco Materazzi. It was the ugliest, most brutal act most soccer fans had seen, and it set records for yellow and red cards. But despite Zidane's shocking temper, he won the Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player. The results were released Monday morning in Berlin by FIFA.

Zidane, 34, is a former international player of the year and 1998 World Cup champion. He announced last month that he was retiring from soccer after the tournament. Although his performance in matches with Switzerland and South Korea were less than impressive, and he missed the last group match against Togo because of being suspended, Zidane showed amazing prowess in the French wins over Spain, Brazil, and Portugal. He was destined to ride out the end of his career as a hero in the world of soccer. But then he lost his temper, for no apparent reason and without provocation. And that was his last act as a professional soccer player.

French soccer federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said that even though he went to the locker room after the game to thank Zidane for his career, the two men did not have a conversation. "He is unhappy," Escalettes told reporters. "We have to leave him alone. I have nothing to ask him." Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said that although he doesn't know what Materazzi said to Zidane to provoke the attack, "We can imagine that there was a provocation." But he added that Zidane's actions were unpardonable. "It's a strange exit for someone who remains an exceptional champion," Lamour told LCI television.

French President Jacques Chirac met with the French squad upon their rapturous welcome into Paris Monday, which temporarily drew some national attention away from the spectacle of Zidane's behavior. Chirac had kind words for the squad's captain, telling Zidane that he is "a virtuoso, a genius of world football." Chirac told him, "You are also a man of heart, commitment, conviction. That's why France admires and loves you."

Chirac's sentiments were definitely in the minority, though. Le Parisien newspaper said, "The blue angel was transformed into a demon. He can't exit this way, it's impossible. This morning, the sense of incredulousness is still there." Former Sports Minister Marie-George Buffet told RFL radio that she wanted to know the full story behind Zidane's behavior. "We can't excuse this gesture," she said. She said that Zidane's act was unforgivable because so many children were watching the game, and because he was representing France.

In the story accompanying its front-page headline, "Eternal Regrets," the French sports daily L'Equipe wrote: "This morning, Zinedine, what do we tell our children, and all those for whom you were the living role model for all times?" Comparing him to other legendary sports heroes such as Muhammed Ali, Pele, and Jesse Owens, the newspaper commented that no other great sports hero "ever broke the most elementary rules of sport like you did."

Zidane, whose parents emigrated from Algeria, had become a proud symbol of the multicultural French society. France won the World Cup in 1998, and the squad was hailed for being a "black, blanc, beur" or "black, white, North African" team-a playful jibe at the red, white, and blue colors of the French flag. Zidane's background, combined with his poise and excellent technique, contributed greatly to the multicultural pride of a country that has often had a difficult time integrating its minorities into peaceful coexistence.

For this year's World Cup tournament, Zidane came out of retirement to lead the struggling squad to the final. He gave France the lead 1-0 with a penalty kick in the 7th minute. It was his 31st goal for Les Bleus in 108 appearances, and his 5th in the World Cup. He was poised to end his career as the greatest athlete France had ever known, and perhaps the greatest soccer player ever, but then he was banished in the 110th minute, and Italy won 5-3 on penalty kicks.

The soccer world and the global sports community is still reeling in shock. As the L'Equipe editorial said, "It was your last image as a soccer player, Zidane. How could that happen to a man like you?"