Sports
French coach Zinedine Zidane has expressed firm conviction regarding Lionel Messi's significant impact throughout the current year, asserting he would vote for him a hundred times for the Ballon d'Or if given the opportunity. These strong statements come as Zidane is currently coaching the French national team, succeeding his former teammate Didier Deschamps, and coincide with the nomination of five prominent French players for the prestigious award: Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, William Saliba, and Dayot Upamecano. In related comments, Zidane underscored that "people don't truly realize how magnificent it is to remain among the best players in the world when you are thirty-nine years old." The French coach specifically emphasized that Messi's continuing performance levels still qualify him to strongly re-enter competition for football's most distinguished individual awards. Zidane further indicated he "would not be surprised if Messi wins the award," questioning whether any other nominees had left a greater mark or impact than the Argentine star recently. When asked about the ongoing debate regarding the greatest player in football history, Zidane decisively responded: "If anyone still has doubts about the discussion of the best in history, frankly, that person does not belong to the football community."
