Benjamin Ferré, 22nd in the Vendée Globe, received a video message from Zinédine Zidane to wish him a Merry Christmas.
“A message from Zizou to celebrate Christmas for me is crazy!” It's a beautiful gift that Benjamin Ferré received in the middle of the ocean. Aboard his sailboat “Monnoyeur-Duo for a Job” which is heading at full speed towards Cape Horn, the French skipper of the Vendée Globe, currently 22nd in the ranking, was surprised to discover a video message from Zinédine Zidane on his phone .
“I know you're a little far from us, but listen, we're here and above all to say courage. I know you're going to be all alone, in the middle of the ocean, but in any case we're thinking of you. Courage, see you soon and Merry Christmas!”, says the former footballer in this recording.
“My dear Zizou, I offer you this 360 degree view”
Which made Benjamin Ferré burst out laughing, who couldn't believe his eyes. “There's Zizou who is celebrating me a Merry Christmas! Well damn, that's a nice gift! Merry Christmas to you too Zizou! Thank you for your little message. Well damn! Once we have that, we can die peacefully. As late as possible!”, reacted the sailor, referring to Thierry Roland’s comments in the 1998 World Cup final.
Camera in hand, Benjamin Ferré then addressed his childhood idol: “Zizou, I don't know where you are for the end of year celebrations. Unfortunately, I don't have a soccer ball to board, otherwise I would have gone to do a little juggling at the front. But I'm giving you a little Christmas present too. He then went out to show the infinite horizon and the water which extends as far as the eye can see: “My dear Zizou, I am offering you this 360 degree view for Christmas. We are far from everything in the South Seas , with the absolutely incredible sky. This is my present!
A “Zidane wall” in his room
A great football fan and supporter of Stade Rennais, Benjamin Ferré spoke to So Foot about his admiration of Zidane: “I quickly moved to Marseille when I was 10-11 years old and in my room there, I had a Zidane wall. You didn't have an inch left. I even managed to find an AS Cannes jersey. His style touched me (…) I even wrote a letter to Zizou. to know if he didn't want to receive me in Madrid!”
And when he was asked if he dreamed of meeting a player or sailing with him, the answer was obvious: “Zizou anyway, it would be cool, even if I don't know if he's too talkative. We would do a good maneuver, he would say: “It's good.”
