hoped for Wednesday for the lighting of the cauldron, Zidane was… in Madrid to see Real’s comeback

He was notably absent from the ceremony of the arrival of the flame in Marseille and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Zinédine Zidane, long hoped for and even announced by several media on Wednesday to take part in the festivities, was finally present in Spain, where he lives, at the time when 230,000 people gathered in the Old Port. A huge crowd finally cheered the rapper Jul, hooded and revealing his identity at the last minute, responsible for lighting the cauldron after recovering the flame from the hands of Paralympic champion Nantenin Keita.

While the Olympic flame must cross Castellane, the district of Marseille which saw it grow, before arriving at the Stade Vélodrome (around 7:40 p.m.) this Thursday, “Zizou” was present the day before in the capital of Spain to attend the Champions League semi-final return between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. A very short video sequence has been circulating since Thursday morning on social networks, showing the legend of the Blues reacting to the Merengue’s second goal against the Germans. The video was picked up by the daily AS which confirmed the presence at the stadium of the former coach of the Spanish club.

Will Zinédine Zidane, despite everything, take part in the relay in the coming days? The mystery remains unsolved because the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castera promised surprises, even if the presence of the former number 10 of the Blues in his hometown on Wednesday seemed obvious. The name of the ex-footballer, aged 51, continues to circulate, like others, for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron in Paris on the evening of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

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