The 43rd Ballon d'Or winner

Forty and thirdeat Ballon d'Or winner - Zinedine Zidane   

The incredible midfielder, who contributed to France's world triumph, won the award for 1998

The winner of the Golden Ball ranking in 1998 was strongly influenced by what happened at the World Cup in France. It is no surprise that it is a player from the triumphant Roosters on the home stage who grabs the prize. This is the Juventus midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who also impresses with his performance for his club team, with which he achieves significant success and remains one step away from European triumph. Zidane is one of the rare cases in which quality play is chosen over statistical achievements, although Zizou did have important goals and numerous assists in 1998.

The midfielder collected a record 244 points after 50 of the 51 voting journalists representing the countries that are members of European football powerhouse UEFA placed him in the top five. For 45 of them, he is the undisputed number one, four put him in second place, and one - in the third position. The difference between the first and the second is also a record, after Davor Shuker collected 68 points. The top scorer of the World Cup and the best player of the big surprise Croatia, remains 176 points from the first position. This is a 22-point difference from the previous year, when Ronaldo Nazario won easily over Predrag Mijatovic.

The Brazilian striker and winner of the ranking in 1997 remains third with 66 points to his credit, just two behind Suker, but the disappointing final for the Seleção national team, losing 3-0 to France, took its toll. The five are completed by the Englishman Michael Owen and another top star of Brazil - Rivaldo from Barcelona.

It is impressive that there are only two more world champions in the top 10. These are defenders Lilian Thuram from Parma and Marcel Desai from Chelsea. Bulgarians in the ranking are also not present, and there are also a number of nominated competitors who remain without a point won.

The year for Zinedine Zidane is more than great. Although in the first match in 1998 Juventus lost for the first time in Serie A, it turned out to be only one of two losses on the way to another Scudetto for the Bianconeri. The French midfielder shone with two goals against Atalanta, one against Roma and one against Piacenza in the second half of the 1997/98 season. He is also Juve's third-highest scorer behind Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi en route to top spot, five points clear of second-placed Inter. In the cup tournament, however, the Torino suffered disappointment after being knocked out by Lazio in the semi-finals, which came after a 0-1 home loss. Zidane still has one goal in 1998 and in this competition.

In the Champions League, Zizou and company reached the final for the third consecutive campaign, but for the second consecutive they found themselves on the losing side. A triumph over Ajax in 1996 was followed by a loss to Borussia Dortmund, and now it's Real Madrid's turn to claim their seventh honor in the competition. Zidane, who scored once in the semi-final qualifiers with Monaco, disappointed again but was still the catalyst for the chances in front of goal that saw Alessandro Del Piero become the tournament's top scorer.

However, the World Cup in France brings great joy to the midfielder and the national team of the Roosters, who come to an unexpected triumph. Zidane is neither the best player nor the top scorer of the tournament, but with his performance in the final, it shows that another alien footballer has been born. It was Zizou who brought France the distinction with his two goals already in the first half. These are his only goals of the tournament, but they seem to be the most valuable.

Disappointment at club level was not long in coming, however, and Juve went on a horrendous run of results at the end of the year, conceding four defeats in five games and, after a lackluster performance, remaining a long way from defending their title. In the Champions League, the group is overcome after only one success and a better goal difference, but one of the few players who does not suffer criticism for this performance is Zidane.

Appearing at the World Finals and playing for Juventus in the first half of 1998 seemed to be enough for Zinedine Zidane to pick up the 43rd Ballon d'Or in history and leave another lasting mark on French football, helping the Roosters to put on their first world crown.