Zinedine Zidane: The world-record transfer that created a Real Madrid legend

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 5 Apr 2026 09:55 CDT
• 6 min read

Analysis

In December 2000, Real Madrid were voted as the FIFA Club of the Century with over 42% of the vote, and president Florentino Perez was eager to maintain their standing as the world’s number one elite team the following summer.

Los Blancos had already shocked the football world with a deal for Barcelona superstar Luis Figo in 2000 and they followed that transfer up with another world-record deal 12 months later when Zinedine Zidane arrived at the Bernabeu from Juventus.

The France international had become one of the most sought-after players in European football during his illustrious spell in Turin and Perez made no secret of his desire to finalise a deal for his signature.

Zidane was by no means prolific throughout his Juventus career, notching just 31 goals in over 200 games, but his flair and elegance helped him claim Ballon d’Or glory in 1998, while he led the Old Lady to six trophies across his five-year stint at the club.

Champions League success evaded him, however, with Juventus finishing runners-up in both 1997 and 1998. In a bid to finally get his hands on the elusive prize, Zidane set his sights on Real Madrid, leaving Juventus powerless to prevent an exit.

After a lengthy pursuit, Los Blancos finally announced the signing of Zidane in July 2001 and a Real Madrid legend was born.

The world-record transfer

Zidane’s move to Real Madrid remains one of football’s greatest ‘tapping up’ transfers.

Speaking to L’Equipe in 2022, Zidane admitted: “We [Florentino Perez and I] were at a large table in Monaco for a gala dinner but we weren’t sitting next to each other. I was invited to receive an award, there he hands me a serviette. Inside was written: ‘Do you want to join?’ And I answered him on a piece of paper: ‘Yes’.

“I still wonder why I answered him in English! I could have put ‘oui’, since he speaks French, or ‘si’ in Spanish, but I put ‘yes’. It went from there… There was no second or third date to make things happen… Florentino Perez is a man who does not joke. When he says: ‘We’re going to do it’, he does it.”

That UEFA gala took place in August 2000 and one month later, Zidane signed a new five-year contract at Juventus. “I have signed the contract extension until 2005, as I feel happy here and see no reason to leave,” Zidane told reporters when asked about his decision to extend his spell in Turin.

Murmurs of an exit continued in the background throughout the 2000-01 season, with Real Madrid desperate to bring him to the Bernabeu as they chased yet more Champions League glory, having won the trophy in 1998 and 2000, but Zidane’s agent, Alain Migliccio, denied such speculation.

After reports from France suggested that Real Madrid had agreed a first-option clause if Zidane left Juventus, Migliccio said: “Zinedine is a Juventus player. He has a valid contract with the Turin squad until 2005, and so I don't think any change will happen in the near future.

“This news about him signing for Real has taken me completely by surprise because no one from the Spanish club has contacted me about this. Of course this doesn't mean that Florentino Perez isn't interested in Zidane but I haven't heard anything from Madrid up until now.”

Zidane himself added: “I haven't signed any contract with Real Madrid. The news published is not true. I have a contract with Juventus and I will stay.”

However, a move to the Bernabeu soon beckoned as Perez finally got his man after agreeing to pay a world-record fee of €77.5 million to bring Zidane to the Spanish capital.

Was he worth the money?

Zidane was widely considered to be the best player in world football before joining Real Madrid and he proved such credentials were true throughout his spell with Los Blancos.

Ronaldo Nazario and David Beckham soon joined Zidane and Figo at the Bernabeu and while the first iteration of Perez’s Galactico era didn’t work out as planned, the Frenchman established himself as an icon in Madrid.

His first season at the club was undoubtedly his most memorable, though. With the Champions League trophy the only piece of silverware missing from his cabinet, Zidane set about putting that right following his arrival at the Bernabeu.

The France superstar played a pivotal role during Los Blancos’ win over Barcelona in the semi-finals, scoring the opener in the first-leg before providing an assist for Raul in the second-leg, and his performance in the final was even more special.

With the score poised at 1-1 on the stroke of half-time, Zidane scored one of the best goals in Champions League history, guiding an immaculate left-footed volley past a helpless Hans-Jorg Butt to clinch Real Madrid’s ninth European Cup and his first.

It remains one of the most iconic goals ever scored and cemented Zidane’s place in Los Blancos folklore.

The Frenchman helped Real Madrid secure La Liga glory the following season, while they also won the 2002 Super Cup final following a 3-1 win over Feyenoord.

In total, Zidane notched over 100 goal contributions in 227 matches for Real Madrid and he captured the heart of every Los Blancos fan via his genius manipulation of a football before his eventual retirement following the 2006 World Cup.

Zizou's Legacy

Zidane’s arrival at Real Madrid helped the club solidify its position as the greatest club in the world, with the biggest superstars on the planet desperate to pull on the iconic Los Blancos shirt.

His impact at the Bernabeu stretched far beyond his playing days too. Zidane returned to Real Madrid in 2010 as a special advisor before becoming sporting director in 2011 and then Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant manager in 2013.

Zidane made his first step into management with Real Madrid’s Castilla side and after 18 months in the role, he replaced Rafael Benitez as Los Blancos head coach in January 2016.

Then came a period of European dominance that may never be seen at the top level again. Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions League titles following Zidane’s mid-season appointment and despite never managing another club, he is regarded as one of the best head coaches of the 2010s as a result.

While Zidane wasn’t exclusively responsible for those three Champions League triumphs, he played a pivotal role in four of Real Madrid’s five European Cup trophies during the 21st century, a feat that not many can hold a candle to.