‘Ronaldo was the best in the world. Even if you ask Zinedine Zidane, I’m sure he’d say the same’ Youri Djorkaeff on what it was like to line up alongside two legends
The play alongside one generational talent is something, but to be team-mates with two is stuff of dreams.
But former France international Youri Djorkaeff was able to play alongside two modern-day legends for both club and country.
With Les Bleus, Djorkaeff was able to forge a devastating partnership with Zinedine Zidane, but despite everything the pair achieved together, even Zizou does not match up to one of his club team-mates.
Djorkaeff on Ronaldo vs Zidane
Djorkaeff and Zidane lined up together 49 times for France, during which time the team won successive international tournaments, as they followed up their historic 1998 World Cup victory on home soil with their European Championship two summers later.
He believes that the pair of them were following on from a long French tradition of producing world-class midfield talents, with Zidane’s emergence being the final ingredient that turned a talented squad into world champions.
“It was extremely easy playing next to Zidane,” he tells FourFourTwo. “France has always had a tradition of producing elite midfielders.
“I grew up watching the 1982 generation with Jean Tigana, and then 1986 with Platini and Luis Fernandez. Zidane was the missing piece – the organiser the team needed.”
Djorkaeff also believes that their partnership flourished because both players understood their respective roles.
“With his talent and vision, he was the link between the defence and frontline. I was more a final-third player – I scored many goals from his assists, he scored quite a few from mine.
“Our connection was one of the most important partnerships of that era.”
But for all the success that Djorkaeff had playing alongside Zidane, he does not hesitate when asked to select between his international partner and his former club team-mate at Inter Milan, Ronaldo.
Djorkaeff turned out alongside the Brazilian forward 53 times for Inter between 1997 and 1999 and insists that there is a clear winner when it comes to the debate over which player was better.
“It may sound hard to believe, but the answer is simple: Ronaldo,” he claims. “He was the best in the world. Even if you ask Zidane, I’m sure he’d say the same.”
