Zidane to win 100th cap in farewell to Paris

PARIS, May 25: Zinedine Zidane will win his 100th cap on Saturday, making his final appearance at the Stade de France where he became one of French soccer's immortals.

The World Cup warm-up against Mexico will bring the memories flooding back for the gifted son of Algerian immigrants, and one in particular.

It was in that same high-tech arena on the oustskirts of Paris that the balding 33-year-old with the magic touch scored two goals in France's 3-0 defeat of Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final.

The three-times World Footballer of the Year, who will retire after the 2006 finals in Germany, also shone in the first match played in the showcase stadium, scoring with a superb volley in a 1-0 win over Spain in January 1998.

''It's a mythical stadium,'' Zidane said on his website. ''It's a special place for me because that's where I started an adventure with France by scoring in the inaugural match.

''Then there were those goals in the World Cup final. Playing there means a lot to me. I hope it will be a nice party on Saturday.'' The central figure in the team that won the World Cup on home turf and the European title two years later, Zidane said last week France needed to recover the team spirit of previous campaigns if they were to be successful in Germany.

POOR SHOWINGS ''We have good players but we lack the virtues of previous sides when we were a united group, all pulling in the same direction,'' said the Marseille-born midfielder.

He remembers only too well France's poor showings in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and the European championship in Portugal two years ago.

Zidane, scorer of 28 goals in 99 appearances for his country, first wore the France shirt in a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic in which he scored both his side's goals after coming on as a second-half substitute.

''The fact that he's winning his 100th cap proves he has managed to stay at the highest level after so many years,'' said defender Lilian Thuram, who has 111 caps.

''It's easier for a defender but it's much more difficult for a midfielder. He's an extraordinary player.'' The elegant Zidane, who insists he should not be written off yet, has been the centre of attention this week, starring in a film presented at the Cannes festival and entitled ''Zidane, a 21st Century Portait.'' ''It's quite strange,'' Zidane said of the offbeat documentary showing his every move during a game with Real Madrid. ''I can say so because I've seen it.'' Zidane, who will turn 34 during the World Cup, said Saturday's game would be a prelude to his final challenge.

''It will be my last match at the Stade de France but for me, it will be the start of something,'' he said.

''This will not be a farewell. After that, we'll have a World Cup and everything I've done before, good or bad, will not count any more.''

REUTERS