Summary: Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest players who never played in the Premier League.
Throughout his career, the Frenchman was associated with clubs such as Blackburn and Newcastle.
Zidane revealed his all-time Premier League XI in an interview in 2016.
Zinedine Zidane is one of football’s best players of all time. The Frenchman accomplished almost everything with grace and finesse, as well as enviable power and nastiness. Playing in the Premier League, in addition to winning domestic titles, a Champions League, a European Championship, and a World Cup, was one of the only things the renowned midfielder did not achieve during his long career.
Zidane’s flair would have undoubtedly made him an ideal match for English football, and it almost occurred through an odd source: Blackburn Rovers. While he never played a minute in what has become the world’s best league, he admired it from a distance. In 2016, the 52-year-old chose his greatest Premier League XI, leaving out some magnificent stars such as Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney.
Goalkeeper and Defence
Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Jaap Stam, Ashley Cole
It was almost a Manchester United clean sweep on the backline, with four of the five players featured having their best successful seasons in English football at Old Trafford. Peter Schmeichel, a Great Dane, sits between the sticks. The former number one was signed from Brondby for as little as £500,000 and is still one of the best buys in Premier League history. Schmeichel had 128 clean sheets in the division, which also included appearances for Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand make up one half of the defence, having had a legendary partnership for both club and country in the mid-2000s. Jaap Stam, the Dutch destroyer, joins the former Leeds and West Ham star. The former Lazio player made his mark against Zidane during the 1998/99 treble-winning season, when the Red Devils defeated Zidane’s Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals.
Finally, Ashley Cole is the only non-United player to reach the list, with the former Arsenal and Chelsea player largely regarded as not only the best left-back in Premier League history, but one of the best overall.
Midfield
Steven Gerrard, Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira, Paul Scholes
In terms of an actual game system, Zidane’s midfield pick may have been too restricted. However, with the level of talent on exhibit, they have the potential to devastate any squad. Steven Gerrard, the legendary Liverpool player, was the first to join the engine room. The all-action midfielder is still the finest player who has never won a Premier League medal, yet he is flanked by three other players who have.
Claude Makelele was ‘Zizou’s’ international colleague, and he’s an enormously underappreciated figure for his significance as one of the first recognised holding midfield players—a role that players like N’Golo Kante have since demonstrated to be critical for a team’s balance.
Patrick Vieira is another Frenchman who has made it into the team and might serve as captain alongside Gerrard and Neville. Finally, Paul Scholes fills the final position. His fondness for Zidane is widely known, with the latter declaring Scholes the finest midfielder of their generation.
Attack
Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo
The front two are players Zidane is intimately familiar with for a variety of reasons. The former Galactico has chosen Thierry Henry, who is widely regarded as the greatest Premier League player in history. The Arsenal legend was a one-of-a-kind force when he initially crossed the French border, eventually becoming the league’s top star and winning multiple international awards alongside Zidane.
Cristiano Ronaldo joins him on top. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner won his first in 2008 while playing for Manchester United, and he was a member of what many consider Sir Alex Ferguson’s best team. Ronaldo would eventually train with Zidane at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he developed into the poacher-like player we see today. While he displayed that skill again when he returned to Old Trafford in 2021, at the time of Zidane’s interview, he was still largely a winger but was on the verge of breaking the record for most goals in a season.
Zidane’s Best Premier League XI
Position
Player
GK
Peter Schmeichel
DEF
Gary Neville
DEF
Rio Ferdinand
DEF
Jaap Stam
DEF
Ashley Cole
MID
Steven Gerrard
MID
Claude Makelele
MID
Patrick Vieira
MID
Paul Scholes
FWD
Thierry Henry
FWD
Cristiano Ronaldo
xz
