Zidane: Connecting with the Art of Soccer Excellence

By Chris Schulz, NSC Soccer Academy

Last weekend I attended a truly artistic treat in the showing of Zidane: a 21st Century Portrait at the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis. What better way to get in touch with the arts than to take in one of the boldest soccer films ever made. Zidane was featured to capacity crowds throughout the weekend and it caught such a response that the Walker added a fifth (and possibly a sixth) showing on Sunday afternoon.

No wonder the people came out in masses. Zidane has been a world soccer icon for the past decade. Commonly referred to as Zizou, Zidane has thrilled the world with some of the finest goals ever witnessed and accolades of a Gretzkey or Jordan. Here is the man who singled-handedly elevated France back to the 2006 World Cup Final and taking home the Golden Boot Award for the tournament’s top player but of course, will forever be remembered for the malicious headbutt he delivered to Italy’s Materazzi in the Cup Final.

Thus the provocative question drew the masses to the scene, what really goes on in Zizou’s head?

Zidane: a 21st Century Portrait offered a better understanding of Zizou on the pitch. The picture is 92 minutes long, about 89 of which 17 cameras catch every movement and emotion of a warrior. He plays forward in this piece along side Ronaldo, Raul, Beckham, and the rest of the star studded Real Madrid versus Villareal in spring of 2005. A true warrior, the Frenchman with a look of an ancient Roman on a battle field plays the field like a game of chess. I think he says 12 words all match! Stoic indeed, but what really is going on in Zizou’s head?

I can side with everyone who feels the film becomes a bit uninteresting at times and that they wish they could watch another player every so often. It would have been better if Zidane had been playing the maestro in the middle but by the vast amount of walking time, it is obvious that Madrid wants the man up front. But the action shots of his feet nestling the ball out of the air and quickly turning across the field in full stride, the thrilling boast of the 80,000 capacity crowd, the lionesque strides of professional footballers, and the daunting focus of the world’s greatest footballer is pure brilliance.

From the soccer development side, as a coach and player, we stress the importance of keeping the ball in possession. Do not lose it…do not panic with it…carry the ball with purpose and confidence. In that regard, Zizou is the finest playmaker I have ever witnessed. The word playmaker may even be an understatement. He’s more like an on-field revolutionary with a vision to conquer any enemy in his way. He almost never loses the ball and clearly knows what he is doing and where he is going with the ball before it gets to him. It was interesting to watch his opponents play him in awe, puzzled as to how to beat him or understand where he will slip the next pass. Pure amazement! The end of the film has a worthy twist that made me understand Zizou far better than when I entered the theater that day. Zizou is a man with focus, passion, and a history for a game that we all admire in so many different ways.

I could go on for a while, basking in the brilliance of this man’s play. My rambling of Zizou has no real end. But while young footballers train around the world, we, as their coaches, must encourage and influence the subtleties of say, receiving a 50-yard ball with a supple touch or making a 30 yard dash to close down an opponent, as a forward, the way Zizou does. Teach his sheer focus on the pitch and the chess game that is taking place in his mind. Understand and encourage his simple decision making and his understanding of when to take the game over…when to turn it up! (just leave the head butting and the choking of players aside please…) We all tell our players to watch more soccer on TV, but a lot of kids don’t know what they are watching for. Watch for the subtle qualities of superstars…how they carry themselves around the field for 90 minutes. This film brings out those needed qualities for players.

Finally, cheers to the Minnesota Thunder organization for partnering with the Walker and this artistic project. A classy act to support! Zizou, good luck to you! Whether you pull out of retirement for the MLS experiment or not, you will always be the most intriguing player of my time.