Zinedine Zidane remains a favourite of the world's football connoisseurs despite not quite reaching the dizzying heights of his sublime Champions League winning goal for Real Madrid two seasons ago.
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In fact by his own standards, the quietly-spoken 31-year-old from Marseille has had a relatively quiet year.
World Cup glory preceded his award in 1998 and European championship victory propelled him towards the honour again in 2000, but this year he has had to settle for the Spanish league title and some classy performances for his national team who have won 13 successive matches -- a French international record.
In the Primera Liga it was a rejuvenated Ronaldo who proved to be the decisive player in Real's run-in to their 29th league title, while in Europe Ronaldo and Raul were the two standout players in the tie of the season, the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United.
And it was Zidane's old club Juventus, marshalled by his able replacement Pavel Nedved, who stopped Real in their tracks in the semi-finals.
But if you ask fans at the Bernabeu which player out of all the so-called "galacticos" they enjoy watching the most the answer will invariably be Zidane.
Few players in the history of the game have been capable of turning football into such an aesthetically pleasing art, but Zidane draws admiration from neutral fans all over the world too because of the sheer beauty of his individual skills.
His nonchalant close control, delicate turns and unparalleled vision delight the eye -- not only of Real fans but also of true admirers of the game.
He is also one of the few players in the world able to create space for himself where none existed a moment earlier. Add to that an eye for a spectacular volley or scoring pass and it is easy to see why he has become one of the all-time greats.
The Frenchman clearly relishes playing alongside his attack-minded team mates at Real and managed to record the second highest scoring tally of his club career with his nine goals last season.
This term he has weighed in with some delightful efforts to help Real to the top of the table once more and it was his unhurried presence in midfield that provided the key to the recent victories over arch-rivals Barcelona and title contenders Deportivo Coruna.
Zidane now succeeds team mates Luis Figo and Ronaldo to complete a hat-trick of World Player Awards for Real, but more than anything else it is an honour for his own interpretation of the beautiful game.
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