Zinedine Zidane wore four numbers that collectors still look for: the 21 at Juventus, the 5 at Real Madrid and the 10 for France, after his early years at Cannes and Bordeaux. This Zidane shirt history goes club by club, with the makers, the sponsors and the details that date each shirt.
Cannes and Bordeaux, 1989 to 1996
Zidane made his professional debut for Cannes on 18 May 1989 and stayed until 1992. He then moved to Bordeaux, where he spent four seasons and reached the 1996 UEFA Cup final, lost to Bayern Munich.
Shirts from these years turn up far less often than his Juventus or Real Madrid shirts, and printed ones are rarer still. If you find one, the season is the first thing to pin down: check the sponsor and the maker's logo against the season before anything else.
Juventus: the 21, 1996 to 2001
At Juventus Zidane wore 21 for five seasons. The club won Serie A in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and reached the Champions League final in both of those seasons. In 1998 he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year.
Kappa made the Juventus shirts for most of his time in Turin. The 1999-00 home shirt carries D+ on the chest. For 2000-01, his last season, the shirts were made by Lotto with Tele+ as sponsor. That switch is the quickest way to tell a late Zidane Juventus shirt from an earlier one.
See what is in stock in the Juventus collection and the Kappa shirts.
Real Madrid: why Zidane wore 5
Zidane joined Real Madrid in 2001. Luis Figo already had the 10. Zidane later explained that the president did not want players in numbers like 25, 30 or 35 and offered him a number from 1 to 10. The 5 was free after Manolo Sanchis left, so he took it and kept it until he retired in 2006.
His first season was the club's centenary, 2001-02, and Real Madrid played in an all-white adidas shirt with no shirt sponsor. That season ended with his left-foot volley in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park, a 2-1 win. From 2002 Siemens mobile appeared on the front, so a Zidane 5 without a sponsor almost always points to 2001-02.
More shirts from this era are in the Real Madrid collection, and our guide to the galacticos shirts goes season by season.
France: the 10, 1994 to 2006
Zidane made his France debut in 1994. At the 1998 World Cup he wore 10 in an adidas shirt and scored two headers from corners in the final, a 3-0 win over Brazil. Two years later France won Euro 2000 and he was named player of the tournament.
After 1998 a star appeared above the crest, so a France shirt with a star dates from after the World Cup win. That one detail splits his France shirts into two groups straight away.
Berlin 2006: the last France shirt
The 2006 World Cup final against Italy was his last match. Seven minutes in he scored a Panenka penalty off the crossbar. In the 110th minute he was sent off for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi, and Italy won on penalties.
France wore white that night, with the 10 in blue. The away shirt from 2006 is one of the most recognisable Zidane shirts there is, even though it was only worn for one tournament.
After the final whistle
The headbutt was later turned into a sculpture. For collectors the night matters for a simpler reason: the white 2006 France shirt is the last one he played in. He went on to coach Real Madrid, but his playing shirts stop there.
How to date a Zidane shirt
Start with the club and the number, then narrow it down with the sponsor and the maker:
- Juventus 21: Kappa for most seasons, D+ on the 1999-00 home shirt, Lotto with Tele+ in 2000-01.
- Real Madrid 5: adidas throughout, no sponsor in 2001-02, Siemens mobile from 2002.
- France 10: adidas, with a star above the crest after the 1998 World Cup.
The label inside tells you the rest. Our guide on reading an adidas product code explains how to match the article number to a season. Every shirt we list is measured flat, and the measurements page shows how to compare them with a shirt you already own.
FAQ
What number did Zidane wear at Real Madrid?
He wore 5 at Real Madrid from 2001 to 2006. Figo had the 10, and the club preferred numbers from 1 to 10, so Zidane took the 5 that Manolo Sanchis had left behind.
What number did Zidane wear at Juventus?
He wore 21 at Juventus from 1996 to 2001.
What number did Zidane wear for France?
He wore 10 for France, including the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000 and the 2006 World Cup final.
Which Zidane shirt is the rarest?
Shirts from his Cannes and Bordeaux years turn up far less often than his Juventus, Real Madrid or France shirts, especially with his name on the back.
Every shirt at Nostalgic Football Shirts is one of one. The ones with his name on the back are in the Zinedine Zidane collection, next to the France shirts.