Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait

Sophia

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Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait was shown on BBC2 last night. He's my favourite football player, so I'm biased in my praise for it, but I recommend it to anyone who is a fan.

The thing I found extraordinary about it was the great presence that Zidane has on screen. The cameras follow him continuously throughout one match, cutting occasionally to television coverage. He moves constantly, walking mostly, with sudden bursts of speed when he has the ball. He almost never stops to catch his breath, but walks always. He watches everything, never letting up. And his expression never changes. He doesn't yell at his team mates, he basically never speaks, and his face displays no emotion, just a workmanlike calm and focus all the time. When his team scores, he claps and smiles a little, and shakes the goal scorer's hand, but again, no change in expression. He doesn't react when there's a chance on target that misses, but just looks away briefly. He reminded me completely of a panther - in complete control of his power, utterly "in the zone", and exuding the self-confidence that comes from age and experience. He's got nothing to prove, but is simply doing his job 100%. It was a mesmerising documentary.