Zidane Fired Up By Scudetto Misery
Zinedine Zidane has spoken of the pain of losing the Italian championship, which he describes as "the worst memory of my career".
Hopes of avenging the bitter experience convinced the Juventus star to commit himself to the club just days after their last-day defeat at Perugia.
The deal made him the joint best-paid player in the world, alongside team-mate Alessandro Del Piero. Zidane, though, insists money was not the motivation to stay.
"I signed because I want to win the championship," the French star revealed. "Losing the Italian title was the worst memory of my career - even worse than the two Champions' League losses and Uefa Cup defeat with Bordeaux.
"It still hurts my feelings when I think about this match. When I go to bed at night, sad images come into my mind. I'm trying not to think too much about it."
The title-decider could not have been more dramatic, with Juve going down in rain-sodden Perugia after a torrential downpour delayed the start of the second half for more than an hour. The situation made the result all the more frustrating for Zidane.
"I'd never played on a pitch like that," claimed the playmaker. "We were not keen to come back and play but the Perugia players insisted and the referee decided we had to finish the match.
"But what hurts me most is the way it all happened. We led the championship from the start of the season and we lost at the last minute.
"The whole season disappeared in a few minutes. We were exhausted. I tell myself it's only football and sport but the disappointment is no less."
Rumours in Turin suggest that team rebuilding for next season could see the arrival of Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert from Barcelona.
The former Ajax star is a favourite of Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is reappraising his transfer targets after failing to lure Hernan Crespo from Parma.
