By European Football
November 24 2005

Long before Davids was a Spurs player and Zidane was the worlds most expensive signing for Real Madrid, they formed for me arguably the greatest midfield pairing I have ever had the good fortune to have witnessed. They terrified opponents, they ran the centre of Juve’s midfield like a pair of rabid pit bulls, for all the skill and ability the pair had, and it was their aggression that made them great.

Opponents were made to feel that they were intruding in their personal space, and could very well expect a whack for their trouble.

But as great of a partnership as its was, it was built up of two very different characters, first the legend that is Zizou:

I was in Marseille just before the 98 world cup, and the entire side of a building was taken up with a picture of an Algerian, of course this was no ordinary Algerian, this was the Icon that is Zinedine Zidane.

Born one of five children to Algerian parents, Zizou and school were never made for each other, but with a ball at his feet it was obvious from a young age that there was a special talent.

By the age of 16, a scout by the name of Jean Varraud recruited him to Cannes and made his debut a year later before transferring to Bordeaux reaching the final of the 95/96 UEFA Cup and in the process attracting the attention of Juventus.

It had to be said that it was a good time for Juve and Zidane as success started to pour in. In 1996, Ziziou's trophy collection was added the UEFA Cup, the European Super cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. With Juventus, Zidane also won the Italian Calico twice in a row (1997 and 1998.) During the same two seasons, his club also reached the Champions League final.

He of course also managed a small matter of winning a World Cup and a European cup with France and a Champions league title with Real Madrid.

But for all his success Zidane remains a very private individual, often looking shy at press conferences and embarrassed by flattery, he comes alive on the pitch, that’s his domain, his passion his territory.

He caresses the ball, and his movement on the pitch is almost choreographed ballet, lacking any genuine pace, he invents angles that simply do not exist for lesser players, his passing accurate to the extreme he makes the players around him better by association. He does have weaknesses though, he can’t tackle to save his life, and defensively he is not the best. But still although his light is beginning to fade, one of the best of his generation.

Davids:

Edgar Davids joined Ajax at the ripe old age of five and worked his way up through their famed youth academy to take his place in the first team at 18. It was a good time to be an Ajax player, as the side ravaged their way through European competition picking up a UEFA Cup and Champions League title not to mention three consecutive Dutch League titles.

As his fame grew it was only a matter of time before a side from one of the bigger European leagues came in for him and AC Milan won the race for his signature.
It is perhaps fair to say his time at Milan was not his best in football, a broken leg and an eventual transfer to Juventus at long last allowed Davids to show what he was made of.

Unfortunately in 2001 he showed something else, traces of Nandrolone in his system led to a ban and he subsequently left to join Barcelona on loan, but not before picking up three Italian titles and a Champions League runners-up medal with Juventus.

His time at Barcelona was successful to say the least, many credit him with turning Barcelona’s season around, and it was widely expected that he would remain at Camp Nou, however he opted to return to Italy for what can only be described as a nightmare of a time with Inter Milan, before finally moving to England with Spurs.

Where as his old Juve sparring partner Zizou is an icon in his own land, Davids has not always been so fortunate. He made his international debut in 1994 and just 2 short years later during the 1996 European cup he was sent home for openly criticizing then Holland coach Guus Hiddink and refusing to play for him.

Still 1998 and all refusals were forgotten as he returned to the Dutch squad and was so impressive that he earned a place on the tournaments all-star team.

David’s strength is in the fact that he will chase a game for 90 minutes, and will tackle strongly, marshalling a defence, while still able to pick out a killer pass. His weakness is his temperament, I mean you might admire him on the field, but would you really want to spend any time with him off it.

Zizou and Davids, both modern greats in their own right, both with careers that are winding down, for me they were never better than when they ran the centre of the field for Juve.