All Eyes on Portugal's Figo, France's Zidane
Copyright � 2000 Nando Media
Copyright � 2000 Agence France-Presse
BRUSSELS (June 26, 2000 9:58 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Portugal and France meet in Wednesday's Euro 2000 semifinal in Brussels with the winners playing the victors of the Holland-Italy semifinal in Sunday's final at Rotterdam's De Kuip Stadium.
France will look to Zinedine Zidane to rekindle the form that helped it lift the World Cup two years ago while Luis Figo is the key figure for Portugal, which is looking to reach a major final for the first time.
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ZINEDINE ZIDANE (France)
Cannes, on France's Mediterranean coast, is famous for the annual film festival that has turned countless cinema wannabes into global superstars.
But its less-fashionable soccer club is also responsible for launching one megastar of the game into orbit.
It was at the humble French second division club, where he played between 1988 and 1992, that Zinedine Zidane first burst onto the soccer scene.
Born on June 23, 1972 in Marseille as one of five children to Algerian parents Zinedine naturally grew up as a supporter of Marseille club with the club's Uruguayan striker Enzo Francescoli his hero. Zidane would later name the first of his two sons Enzo..
But it was down the coast at Cannes where he was given his chance, signing on in 1988.
Zidane needed a bigger stage and exchanged the red-and-white
striped shirt of Cannes for the navy blue jersey of Bordeaux in 1992.
It was at Bordeaux that Zidane first started to cause ripples in European soccer, rather than just in France, and he featured in the team that reached the final of the 1996 UEFA Cup.
Two of his teammates in that side - Christophe Dugarry, his closest soccer friend, and Bixente Lizarazu - went on with Zidane to feature in the France national team side that would lift the World Cup in 1998.
In 1994 Zidane was given his chance with the national team and he could hardly have made a better start, scoring both goals in a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic.
That 1994 international bow came in the wake of France's traumatic failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States with an injury-time goal from Emil Kostadinov in Paris seeing Bulgaria qualify at the expense of France.
It proved to be a blessing in disguise for France and Aime Jacquet replaced Gerard Houllier as French coach.
Jacquet dispensed with the likes of Eric Cantona, dropped after his infamous kung-fu attack on a Crystal Palace fan Matthew Symonds, and David Ginola and decided to build his team around Zidane and Youri Djorkaeff.
In 1996 Zidane went with Jacquet's team to Euro 96 in England but a persistent thigh injury meant that he did not impress even though France reached the semifinals.
He had meanwhile agreed to move to Italian giant Juventus and later that year lifted the Intercontinental Cup (World Club Championship) and European Super Cup with the Turin side.
In 1997 and 1998 he pocketed the Italian Serie A title but in both those years he had to settle for runners-up spot in the Champions League, to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively.
But Zidane's hour was about to come in France 98.
He made an indifferent start to the tournament and was suspended for two matches when he was ejected against Saudi Arabia in the group stages.
But France reached the final against Brazil and it was Zidane who proved the key player.
His two headed goals in the first half put France ahead 2-0 with Emmanuel Petit scoring a third in injury time. Two million people turned out on the Champs Elysees to celebrate and Zidane was the most feted of Jacquet's squad of 22.
When Zidane turned up at the Elysee Palace on Bastille day two days after the World Cup Final he upstaged French president Jacques Chirac, who did not seem too disturbed that the dignitaries gathered on the lawn were chanting "Zidane for President".
In January 1999 he was named FIFA World Player of the Year, having already bagged the "Golden Ball" award for European Player of the Year.
His importance to the team was illustrated by the fact that when he was absent through injury France stumbled badly slipping from first in the group to third. When he was reinstated he quickly ensured France won the group.
His impressive performances so far in Euro 2000 have left him, alongside Figo, as arguably the player of the tournament so far.
Married to a Spanish wife, he has indicated he would like to end his career in Spain.
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LUIS FIGO (Portugal)
FIFA may have named Rivaldo as World Player of the Year in January while Europe's writers also voted for the Brazilian as the continent's top player because of his form for his Spanish club side Barcelona.
However, fans of the famous Catalan club disagreed with those verdicts. When the Nou Camp faithful cast their votes it was Portugal's Luis Figo that was named player of the year.
Luis Filipe Madeira Castro Figo was born on November 4, 1972 in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
It was Sporting Lisbon rather than city rival Benfica that won the race to capture the signature of Figo.
Figo was called into the national team for the first time on Oct. 12, 1991 and played in the 1-1 draw with Luxemburg.
At the time he was just one of many talented products of the Portuguese youth system that allowed the Latin country to win the World Youth Cups in both 1989 and 1991.
He stayed with Sporting for five years winning one Portuguese Cup but it was only a matter of time before the fleetfooted Figo would move on.
Barcelona was the club that took the plunge and in 1995 Figo, then 22, made the move.
Figo's pace and dribbling skills make him a natural choice on the flanks but he is also capable of playing up front and in central midfield.
At Barcelona - in a team full of stars - he quickly overcame the prejudice that sometimes faces players of non-Catalan origin.
In 1997 he won the Spanish Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup.
The next year was even better and he pulled off a Treble of Primera Liga title, Spanish Cup and European Super Cup.
In 1999 he had to settle for the Primera Liga crown and so far this year is trophyless.
But two more good performances from Figo and his teammates could ensure that changes by Sunday.
The resignations of Barcelona president Josep Lluis Nunez and coach Louis van Gaal have left "King Luis" in limbo and rumors persist that he could be on the move - possibly to Lazio of Italy.
A European Championship winners-medal would certainly boost the asking price for Figo if the new regime at the Nou Camp does risk the wrath of the fans by trying to offload him.
