Zinedine Zidane never forgot his 'toughest midfield opponent' and his five-word response when they met years later sums it upp

Zinedine Zidane issued a five-word response when he linked up with ‘one of his toughest opponents’ many years after the pair competed on the pitch.

Zidane, 52, is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders of his generation and has left lasting memories at all the clubs he played for – Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid - as well as cementing his place in the history of French football with a brace in the country’s 3-0 World Cup final win against Brazil back in 1998.

After he hung up his boots following the penalty shootout loss against Italy in the 2006 World Cup final, he embarked on a career in management, initially taking charge of Real Madrid’s B side between 2014 and 2016.

In 2016, he took charge of the senior team, going on to win three consecutive Champions League crowns – becoming the first manager to achieve the historic feat.

Of course, he left Los Blancos in 2018 only to return as manager in 2019 before winning a further La Liga title in the 2019/20 season.

However, another former Champions League winner and Premier League manager has revealed an interesting story about the time he met Zidane in Carlo Ancelotti’s office.

Paul Lambert played for Borussia Dortmund during their 3-1 Champions League final triumph against Juventus at the Olympiastadion in Berlin in 1997.

He faced Zidane in the centre of the pitch and even explained how “People say: ‘You marked Zidane out of the game’” on that occasion.

“The thing about Zidane, he drifts off your shoulder,” Lambert told The Guardian. “He often goes away from the ball, almost baiting you. But the ball’s not the danger, it’s him. Zidane did put me on the backside a couple of times because he’s brilliant. But he’s not going to evaporate, is he?”

Paul Lambert in action for Borussia Dortmund (Credit:Getty)

Lambert, 55, admitted that Juventus “wanted to sign” him after the final. Although he opted to remain at Dortmund.

The Scot went on to become a manager at several clubs - including Aston Villa, Stoke and most recently Ipswich – and revealed that he visited Real Madrid to speak to Ancelotti.

“I never swapped shirts or spoke to Zidane after the final, it’s not really my thing,” he explained.

“But in Madrid, Paul Clement [Ancelotti’s former assistant] brought Zidane into Carlo’s office to meet me.”

And what followed will have no doubt surprised Lambert as Zidane issued a five-word response to seeing his former opponent.

“Zidane just looked at me and said straight away: ‘Paul Lambert. Ah, bloody hell,'" Lambert explained.