Just as the British honours system rewards people deemed to have
made a valuable contribution in society over their lifetimes, the
French have a similar set-up. The Legion of Honour is the highest
accolade that the French state can award and is only given to those
whose influence is unquestionable.
French footballing great Zinedine Zidane will have his ranking in
the Legion lifted from a knight to an officer it was announced this
afternoon.
At 36 years of age, 'Zizou' will be remembered as one of the truly
great footballers of his generation, performing with Cannes,
Girondins de Bordeaux, Juventus, Real Madrid and France with
distinction during a career that spanned 18 seasons.
Few players can claim to have won the titles that the
Marseille-born superstar has won. Domestically, Zidane has won
titles both in Italy and in Spain in addition to achieving great
continental success, victorious in the European Cup – few will
forget his sumptuous winning goal for Real Madrid against Bayern
Leverkusen - and twice the European Super Cup
It is his exploits with the French international side that are
really being recognised today. Zidane was a spearhead of the French
international side that dominated international football at the
turn of the millennium, playing pivotal roles as France claimed
their first ever World Cup title in 1998, famously scoring two
goals, and then followed this with a dramatic European Championship
success a year later.
The Légion d'honneur, as the French recognise it, has five levels,
of which Zidane has been promoted to the fourth-most rank, officer
– one step ahead of a knight. There is a maximum quota of 10,000
officers at any one time so the award is truly unique and
special.
Jacques Lambert, president of the FFF, was also upgraded to an
officer while Fernand Duchaussoy, chairman of the French amateur
leagues (the LFFA), has been made a knight.