Red Cards Cost Me Award, Says Zidane
Thursday 22nd March 2001
Juventus playmaker Zinedine Zidane believes that he lost out in the vote for last year's European Footballer of the Year award because of the two red cards he received in the Champions' League.
"Obviously it barred me from receiving the award," Zidane said. "But now it belongs to the past. I only want to look forward."
The sendings off occurred in successive group games against Hamburg and Deportivo La Coruna as Juve crashed out of Europe at the first hurdle.
The award was won by Luis Figo, and Zidane has since been linked with a move to join the Portugal star at Real Madrid. That, though, is something he refuses to discuss.
"It's not a question to ask me, as it's meaningless," he told L'Equipe. "Everybody but me has been talking about this for quite a long time, and I'm sure they will for as long as I'm there."
France host Japan at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday and take on Spain in Valencia next week in two international friendlies.
