ZIDANE SET TO BE A REAL SMASH

The inspiration behind World Cup '98 and Euro 2000 success for his country, Frenchman Zidane has forcefully stamped his mark on the world stage in the last few seasons. He was crowned European and World Player of the Year in 1998, and was once again voted as the World's best last time round.

And in 2000-01, the Marseille menace yet again stood out as one of the planet's most influential players, despite Juventus' relatively disappointing campaign.

Zidane led the Turin giants in a late assault on the Scudetto that ended in narrow defeat to a rejuvenated Roma, and was the driving force behind Juve's surge towards the top.

Opta's stats highlight just how effective he was in one of the world's toughest leagues. Aside from his six goals from the midfield, which placed him joint-third on Juve's goalscoring charts, Zidane was his usual blur of energy in the engine room.

The Frenchman demonstrated his knack for reading the game as he delivered 13 goal-creating passes in 2000-01, which was the most by any Serie A star. His all-round distribution could not be matched either. Zidane nailed a league-high 1,241 passes in the opposition half - over 200 more than his nearest rival - and only Roma's Cafu could top his tally of 81 successful crosses.

And when the option was on to shoot, Zidane wasted no time in setting his sights and letting rip. With 84 efforts at goal to his name, no other midfielder tried his luck as often as Real's new star.

But although his ability to create chances for himself and colleagues is a major part of his game, Zidane works just as hard in other areas of the pitch. He made 42 tackles for Carlo Ancelotti's 2000-01 side and won 71% of these, while also embarking on 228 dribbles and runs - the second most in Serie A by any player.

Zidane's blistering speed of thought and skill on the ball made him the target of many of Italy's hardened campaigners. He was challenged illegally no fewer than 107 times during Juve's unsuccessful Scudetto quest, but kept his cool magnificently, committing less than half as many fouls himself and picking up just two yellow cards.

The same, however, could not be said about the prodigious midfielder in the 2000-01 Champions League. Zidane's heartbreak at Juve's First Group Stage exit was compounded by the fact that his two dismissals in just four matches played a major part in the Old Lady dropping out of the tournament.

Indeed Zidane was a losing finalist twice with Juventus in the competition, and must see the move to Real Madrid as the chance to bury his European Cup hoodoo by lifting the prestigious trophy in the famous white shirt of the Spanish giants.

If he can translate the kind of form he displayed for Juve in Serie A into the Champions League with Real next season, Zidane's chances of securing a much-coveted European Cup winners' medal could be better than ever, while the Spanish outfit will have every chance of regaining the title they lost to Bayern Munich in May.