Late on the evening of July 12, 1998, a million people poured onto the Champs-Elysees in Paris. The world’s most famous avenue was a flurry of tricolore flags, the sound of car horns and cheers of fans revelling in sporting glory filling the night sky.
USE OF ZIZOU’S IMAGE WAS ABOUT MORE THAN FOOTBALL. IT WAS ABOUT CULTURAL IDENTITY, RACE, ETHNICITY, IMMIGRATION As the throngs partied, an image of Zinedine Zidane was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe, along with two words: ‘Merci Zizou’. The masses roared in appreciation and, in that moment, Zidane’s status as the foremost cultural icon of his generation in France was sealed.
A couple of hours earlier, the then 26-year-old Juventus playmaker had scored two headers in the 3-0 win over Brazil that meant France…
