India, July 11 -- Zinedine Zidane began life as a footballer on the streets of La Castellane, the tough suburb of Marseille where he grew up. He ended it as a street fighter in one of Europe's most historic stadiums, in front of a worldwide audience of millions.

Italy and France squared off for the FIFA World Cup in the warmth of Berlin in July, under the floodlights of the German capital's iconic Olympiastadion. For much of the final, France stifled Italy -- the Azzurri did not manage a single shot on target from open play all match.

Zidane, then 34, opened the scoring with a signature panenka (chipped) penalty, his third in the tournament. That would not be the biggest mark he left on the final.

In any case, Zidane had powered Les Bl...