By Elsa Girard-Basset | Web journalist
Locker room leader in 2006, which was not the case in 1998, Zinédine Zidane was surprised to see Franck Ribéry arrive all fired up in blue, without worrying about conventions. This was particularly obvious during the training before the World Cup, through a very specific episode which amazed Zizou. And to which he returned several years later.
It was one of the great stories of the 2006 World Cup. Aged only 23, Franck Ribéry arrived in the French team just for the World Cup, which he also lit up with his famous goal against the 'Spain, embellished with the no less famous “Go ahead, my little one!” » by the late Thierry Gilardi. However, the attitude of the Bayern Munich legend was double or nothing, and Zinédine Zidane will not say the opposite.
Zinédine Zidane sawed off by the spontaneity of Franck Ribéry
In an interview with L'Équipe, the man who was the captain of the Blues during this World Cup remembered Ribéry's audacious behavior, to say the least, during the training camp in Tignes, a few weeks before the start of the tournament:
The first time we did training with the French team with him, it was in the mountains, in Tignes. And he threw a snowball at me! The other players were surprised. On me! But when I did that, I found it great! It wasn't a lack of respect. It showed he wanted to get closer. There are some who don't dare. Frank, it was quite the opposite. Well, I would never have done that. Doing this on Cantona when I arrived…
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Without calculating anything, through his spontaneity, everything obviously adding to his talent, Ribéry thus immediately gained the respect of Zidane. He also added:
Guys like that, like Ribéry, we need them in a group. They do good. There was also Thierry Henry. He didn't stop. He was always out of control. In Madrid, it was the Brazilians, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, always coming up with bullshit. They are happy. Zero detention! I liked these guys because I didn't go too far with the others. It was my nature. But I have evolved. Especially becoming a coach.
Regardless, no one has forgotten the famous snowball throwing episode, and especially not Raymond Domenech. In an interview also given to L'Équipe, the former coach of the Blues remembered:
I will never forget our first jogging in Tignes, in May. There was still snow left. Franck sees this, makes balls, swings and it falls on Zidane! I'm behind, it lasts a quarter of a second but I freeze, just long enough to think: “Shit, what is that?!” » But Zidane bursts out laughing and they then have a snowball fight. And then you know it's won…
RIbéry became the entertainer, without forcing himself, he was natural. And I'm not sure that if he had come earlier, he would have had this freshness, this thing that made you laugh at his jokes.
If the future was unfortunately not as bright as hoped when he arrived on the scene in 2006, Franck Ribéry was immediately dubbed by the executives of the blue locker room, and in particular Zinédine Zidane. And for “Francky”, a good snowball fight is better than formal, stuck-up discussions, which certainly hit the mark!
