Moving on to the footballer point of view i can say that i am (like Ken) also a goalkeeper and can, on a minor scale relate to the loneliness he mentions. However while being “just” a goalkeeper i was admirable of Zidane’s touch, his vision, his ability to make an impact without putting hismelf through the paces; only a skill acquired by legends as they see passes and oppurtunities 2 or 3 moves before anybody else, and most of all his passion for the game (when he defends his team mate Raul and receives a red card in the process). These are the credentials of a top footballer.

The most noticeable attribute of the crowd for me was that although throughout the match Zidane only seemed to misplace one pass, every action he made was applauded clearly by the crowd, whether it be a sharp turn or a piece of skill finished off with a neat pass to a team mate.

The purpose of the movie wasnt to show Zidane at his ultimate best as some may have hoped (and this is why they were perhaps let down), it was to show that even on an average day when Zidane was not at his best, he could still be seen as gliding across the turf providing the perfect pass whilst somehow overshadowing his team mates and opponents without even getting out of 3rd gear or digging deep for inspiration. After all, is it not because he makes it look so easy that we admire him in the first place? Is it not because even at half his best he steals the show? It is here that his magnificence is amplified as he does the simple things and makes them look fantastic.

As a last point i would like to say that one of the reasons he was reasonably ineffective in the first half is due to his position, he is not a left sided midfield player. Im sorry to delve into tactics but when Luis Figo comes on for Ronaldo in the mid second half and pushes wide, it forces Zidane to take up a more central role, and it is here that he is most effective, and where he can rip defences apart with the killer pass or sneak peek of sheer brilliance to give himself more space allowing his team mates to flourish. This is obvious as he gets more into the game here and seems to be on the ball a lot more often.

I thought the film was absolutely brilliant, and as most of the comments above show, you dont have to be a fan of football to recognise brilliance.

Here is the review that I submitted to Dunord about the film:

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I am by no means a movie buff, much less a critic. But in terms of film as an art, I would say that I felt the movie struggled at times. In fact I would say that they were fortunate to have chosen a game where Zidane is red-carded as a full 90 minutes of simply focusing on one player would have been too much. The music certainly helped to break up the monotony of the setting and to set a tone. I also believe that, although interesting, some of the occasional subtitles, including portions taken from Zidane interviews were, at times, oddly placed and seemingly unfitting for the chosen moment.

I would also expect that there were many soccer fans who attended who walked away disappointed, and since seeing the film I have spoken with a few. I think that is mostly their own fault for expecting that the film would provide some broader insight into Zidane's skills and abilities on the field. And also for not being willing to let go of the actual match being played and try to focus on the film as an experiment in human motion and form within a broader context which is unseen but known.

One thing that I did anticipate about the film, and which I do believe it delivered on, was the experience of being one player of 22 on a large field, and still the sense of isolation and loneliness that one can experience as a football player. As a goalie this is something that I can especially relate to as I spend every game with my teammates backs facing me and as someone who is usually ignored except when my services are required. But I think this sense of isolation and loneliness can also be experienced by field players who often can go for minutes without any interaction with other players on the field. And when they are playing in front of thousands of fans that sense of loneliness can be heightened due to the inability to communicate with other players via any other method than hand movements and head gestures. So they often move about, seemingly uninvolved, waiting for the movement of the ball to involve them. And then when the ball does come to their feet the isolation is even more heightened as all eyes are on that one player to see if they do the "right thing" with the ball. Not doing so leaves one even more isolated. I believe the film was able to express these feelings to those who had the capacity to understand them.

Out of 5 stars I give it a 2.7