20 years since that memorable moment in the Champions League final! Zinedine Zidane and his touch of God!

15. may 2002. This is a date that has been indelibly etched in the hearts of all Real Madrid fans, but also in bold letters in the history of football itself. The legendary footballer and coach Zinedine Zidane is in charge of it.

Pérez’s Galácticos was a celebration of football at the turn of the century

When Florentino Pérez ran for the presidency of football colossus Real Madrid in 2000, he promised to bring in the star of FC Barcelona’s arch rival, Portuguese Luis Figo. He made good on his promise, and thus began a carousel of star arrivals at the club known as Galácticos.

One of the aforementioned stars was French football virtuoso Zinedine Zidane. It didn’t take long for the Galacticos to experience success on the European stage. In the Champions League in 2002, the White Ballet reached the final of the millionaire competition. Its opponent was the German team Bayer Leverkusen.

The 2002 Champions League final was decided by Zidane’s memorable volley

The team led by Vicente del Bosque started the match in a great way. Already in the ninth minute the Spanish giant opened the net for the first time. Left-back Roberto Carlos, who would not be lost in the throwing disciplines of athletics, threw an incredible drive and Los Blancos icon Raúl González took advantage of the surprise of the German defence to one hundred percent.

After five minutes, Brazilian Lúcio did equalise after a standard situation, but the galactic moment of the evening was yet to come. Just as both teams were about to go into the booths tied, the stellar Zidane shone. After a high centre from Roberto Carlos, the lone Frenchman appeared on the edge of the box and scored one of the most memorable goals in the history of finals with a left-footed volley.

The legendary goal still resonates in football history twenty years on

“I knew it was going to be a goal as soon as the ball left my foot, ” Zidane recalled of the evening in Glasgow, according to Spanish daily Marca. It was then that he won the Champions League for the first time and began a love affair with the competition that continued during his campaign as Real Madrid coach from 2016-2018.

Vicente del Bosque, who was the coach of the team at the time, tried to describe the memorable intervention himself 20 years later. “Zidane’s goal was a work of art, the pure aesthetics of a player of spectacular character, something you don’t see in football, let alone in final matches,” Del Bosque said.

Real Madrid had one more hero that night

The save, which came just before the break, was worth its weight in gold and Zidane became the legend of the night. But he wasn’t the only hero of the game. Twenty minutes before the end, the Spanish capital’s number one goalkeeper César Sánchez was injured and the young Iker Casillas came on for the final match without having warmed up and after 55 days without a game.

The German team showered the Spanish side’s whitewash with accurate centres with a few minutes to go and Casillas saved his team with bravura saves just five days before his 21st birthday.

He too was instrumental in ensuring that Zidane’s touch of God was forever displayed in the museum of immortal moments in football history.

Source: Marca, Twitter