Zidane biography lost in translation

WHEN TALKING about Zinedine Zidane with a football fan, it’s a fairly safe bet that one of three big moments will be remembered first. While the Frenchman was a household name in his own country, people on both sides of the Irish Sea started to get a real appreciation for his quality at the 1998 World Cup.

His brace in the final against Brazil shocked a lot of people. Most watchers were backing the Samba boys and few were expecting Zidane to take them apart, but the performance catapulted him into the superstar bracket.

Few players have one huge moment on the biggest stage in their career; Zidane had a second four years after his World Cup heroics.

He scored one of the most memorable goals in European Cup final history when he volleyed home against Bayer Leverkusen, on his way to the crown with Real Madrid.

Two winning moments, two moments of individual brilliance. However, individuals have the power to be detrimental to the hopes of the team and that was the case when he was sent-off in his last-ever game - the 2006 World Cup final against Italy - for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi.

Those three big memorable moments of Zidane’s playing days are all covered in detail in ‘Zidane The Biography’, a book covering his life as a whole, and his on-field career in the main.

Written by Patrick Fort and Jean

Philippe, the publication is translated from French to English.

That’s exactly where the main problem lies. The biggest difficulty you will have with this book is getting into a flow. Unfortunately, it reads like a book that has been translated but not done that well.

Sentences are short and sharp.

Jagged full stops, and few commas make it a head-wrecking proposition.

You will feel like throwing it against a wall when reading the first chapter, it’s as infuriating as a book gets.

In fairness, it can often take a chapter to sync your brain to the writing style, every book is different and it takes time to figure it all out. Yet the over-riding thought is still that ‘this book is making me thicker’.

Other problems arise too. At times situations are shaded questionably in Zidane’s favour. There is a loss of balance in several instances, with the authors’ own opinion pushed as fact even when video suggests otherwise.

One example of this was a sending-off against Saudi Arabia in the 1998 World Cup which was described as ‘harsh’, despite Zidane clearly stamping on his opponent in retaliation for a fairly innocuous challenge.

Plus points? Well, Zidane himself has not put pen to paper for an autobiography and is known as a private individual who never gave too much of himself to the media. In that sense it’s good to have a written record of his achievements, in the form of a biography.

As well as that, it is a decent length. The authors don’t overdo the back story but give you enough information to understand what makes the man tick.

They also give a comprehensive rundown of his international career at the end of the book, with notes on each cap.

There probably isn’t a huge audience for this English adaptation. The information is decent, the authors do some research, but it’s far from great.

Maybe those who are too young to remember the on-field Zidane will learn a little. Those that lived the moments would be better sitting down, popping open an internet browser, and flicking through clips of one of the game’s greats for a couple of hours.

DEAN GOODISON

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