Zidane

.

As a child, I had a running commentary in my head when I was playing. It wasn't really my voice... When you step on the field, you can hear the presence of the crowd. There is sound--the sound of noise. When you are immersed in the game you don't really hear the crowd. You can almost decide for yourself what you want to hear. You are never alone. I can hear someone shift around in their chair. I can hear someone coughing. I can hear someone whispering in the ear of someone next to them. I can imagine that I hear the ticking of a watch.

Text: from Zidane: A Twenty-First Century Portrait, 2006
Zidane and Cannavaro: Tom Clark, 2000
Zinedine Zidane, World Cup final, July 9, 2006: photo by David Ruddell, 2006