In the semifinals against Portugal, France earned a penalty kick late in extra time. Zidane wiped off the sweat drenching his face, carefully placed the ball, and took a few steps back. Some Portugal players whispered in Zidane's ear as they walked past.

Zidane avoided goalkeeper Vitor Baia's glare, and curled the ball into the top left corner for yet another big score.

His goals against Brazil at the World Cup showed his talent, the penalty against Portugal displayed iron mental strength.

"I played with Platini," former France captain Marius Tresor said. "Zidane has a similar personality. Someone who is able to guide the team ... a class apart."

He certainly held that position in 1998, although before the World Cup final Zidane had not done that much to justify his tag as a world beater. Then Zidane wrapped up the final before halftime, and sent France into rapture.

The plaudits rolled as fans danced along the Champs-Elysees, and Zidane's watchful face shone down from the Arc de Triomphe:

_ Zizou, the man who showed all French people, regardless of origin, could get along.

_ To acknowledge its cultural diversity, the team was nicknamed "Black, Blanc, Beure" (Black, White, Arab), a play on words of Bleu, Blanc, Rouge (Blue, White, Red), the colors of the French flag.

"If there had been general elections that night, Zidane would have won," joked Tresor, a black player who captained France and played with Platini at the 1982 World Cup.

"When you looked at the team, it was a very colored team, with Zidane at its head," Tresor said. "He was an icon."