Despite the infamous end to his career, soccer fans still speak of Zidane with the same hushed reverence Americans use for such greats as Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali. He combined balletic grace with a hard edge in a way that few footballers ever could. An entire documentary was filmed in which the camera followed him through every action of a single game. And so it seemed only natural that Real Madrid would come calling in their eternal quest to field a team full of "Galacticos."
To get a sense of perspective on the size of his transfer fee, consider that at the time it was a world record and that it would be eight years before that record would be broken.
