Filippo Inzaghi says Zinedine Zidane carried the intelligence and understanding that made him an outstanding player into his coaching career.
Inzaghi and Zidane spent four years together at Juventus, first appearing as team-mates in the Italian Supercup final on August 23, 1997. Inzaghi scored twice and supplied one assist in that match, while Zidane played for more than an hour.
Their final appearance together in a Juventus shirt came against Atalanta on June 17, 2001. Across their time at the club, they made a combined 137 appearances, with Zidane’s vision and technique helping to create 13 of Inzaghi’s goals.
“I was very lucky to play with a player like Zizou,” Inzaghi told Gazzetta. “For a striker, it’s a great fortune to have such a team-mate creating chances for you.”
The former Juventus striker said Zidane had an exceptional ability to anticipate how an attack would develop and deliver the ball at precisely the right moment.
“Zidane always knew how to put you in the most advantageous position on the field,” Inzaghi said. “Many times, he had already seen everything unfold with just one correct pass.”
While Zidane’s technical quality was clear, Inzaghi said it was the Frenchman’s ability to make complex actions appear effortless that stood out most.
“His technical ability was obvious, but what impressed me most was how he made the most difficult moves look natural,” he said. “Therefore, I was never surprised that he later became a great coach.”
Inzaghi believes the qualities that helped Zidane succeed on the pitch also provided a strong foundation for his work in the dugout.
“If you have footballing intelligence, personality, and the ability to understand the key moments of a game like Zidane does, then you have what it takes to bring these qualities and talents to a coaching role,” he said.
Inzaghi also recalled the contribution of Kaka, describing both players as particularly valuable to a striker whose main focus was scoring.
“Zidane was a great team-mate, and so was Kaka,” he said. “For a striker like me who lives for goals, they were both tremendously helpful.”
One of Inzaghi’s clearest memories of playing with Zidane came in the Champions League in Kyiv in 1998. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Juventus needed to win the return match.
“For the first goal, Zidane put me in front of goal with a pass only he could deliver; the second goal also came from his corner kick,” Inzaghi said.
“I scored a hat-trick in Kyiv, and we won 4-1. That night perfectly illustrated what it meant to play with a player like Zidane.”
Reflecting on their partnership at Juventus, Inzaghi added: “It felt really good to have a player like that behind you.”
