XY There are very few words commencing with these two letters of the alphabet in French and nearly all are borrowed such as Yaourt or Xylophone. I am also assuming living in yurts is becoming as popular in other nations as it is in France? So I shall move swiftly on to Z to conclude my A-Z experience of over a decade in France.
Zinedine Zidane (Zizou)
I am sure, even if you didn’t know, that you would guess that the national sport in France is soccer – Le Foot –Though not yet living here, I was in France for the summer of 1998 when France not only hosted, but won the World Cup (beating Brazil 3:0 in the final). I was also in Milan when Italy won the cup in 1982. It is an explosive experience to be in a nation when it wins and/or hosts the FIFA cup!
Zinedine Zidane was part of the winning ‘98 team and went on to captain the French team. He is up there with the greats, considered one of the best football players of all time. He went on to score the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 2002 Champions’ League triumph. But as his footballing fame grew the French-born son of Kabyle (Algerian) immigrants insisted on reminding fans of the qualities that propelled him to the top in the first place: determination, hard work, modesty, and unflinching commitment to the family and friends who helped his transformation from skinny little “Yazid” of north Marseille into the millionaire and world-famous star “Zizou.”
“I owe everything to my parents, family and friends, who taught me right from wrong, and insisted I show discipline in the tough neighborhood of my childhood,” says Zidane, today a father of four himself. “I know how lucky I am, and will never forget the efforts and sacrifices people made for me. And I also know that it’s my responsibility to serve as an example — to show young people a road they can follow that doesn’t lead in one of many bad directions.”
Dec 2010 8th "Match against Poverty"
I am no great football fan, preferring international rugby myself, but this star truly stands out for his dedicated work for underprivileged kids and how he captured the heart of a nation. He is painfully shy and private yet has put himself again and again in the media spotlight to help others. Since 2001 Zidane has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. Development Programme, and he also represented the European Leukodystrophy Association in its efforts to battle deadly genetic diseases of the nervous system. “There are things in this world that are more important than football,” Zidane says of this work. “This involvement is the kind of thing my family, my upbringing and people I love have always encouraged. It’s something that is part of you or isn’t — but it’s not something you embark upon or give up for any amount of fame or success.”
While his God-like status collapsed after a sad head-butting incident during his 2006 world cup comeback, to the French he still retains his national hero status. President Chirac said after the incident, “France loves you and admires you. You have made us experience an unforgettable moment in the past month by allowing us to reach a second World Cup final in eight years.”Whether one understands or condemns this moment of aggression, there isn’t a Frenchman from 8 to 80 who doesn’t know this name and respect his achievements on and off the pitch for France and hundreds of children worldwide.
In my 20's, with only my guitar and a rucksack, I wandered the continents, immersing myself in the lives of some wonderful people, projects and stories, which changed the way I view my responsibility to others and this earth. Right now I'm a European transplant in the US who writes books for children and young adults. Stories can help us not only navigate our world but can connect us to others, and allow us to inspire and help each other. I believe that equity and empathy should be at the core of our all actions, words, and stories.
I am also a school librarian and I get a kick out of book-matchmaking! And I use the pronouns she/her.
Impressive man. Thank you for telling us about him.
And a very BIG thank you for this wonderful series. What a great way to share part of your world with your readers! Brava!
Merci, Beth. It has been very rewarding to reflect on some of the strongest impressions this nation has left me with.
You finished this great series about your beloved country with a sports hero — why doesn’t that surprise me? 🙂 Very interesting post, especially his charitable work. Soccer has increased in popularity in the US — all my grandsons played. Two are exceptional. I will be sad to see this series end. But, I hope that you continue to share things about your nation as they occur. You live in many worlds with your work and play — would love to know if you watched the royal wedding.
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm for this series, Pat. I watched some of the royal wedding, indeed, but it was tainted somewhat by the many rumours running around during the previous week. I imagine most of this did not hit the main US news.
Thankyou Joanna for a lovely series of your country, and yes it has indeed given me some thought about sharing an A – Z insight of the Maoris and Kiwis in a land called Aotearoa. (Maybe I will start this after I am back from the Conference.)
I read this post out to my husband (a sports buff), and he nodded and was very interested indeed. No wonder you knew about the Rugby, my husband used to play soccer as well as coached the little ones, for many years.
À votre santé