Soccer Extreme : Just as the British honours system rewards people deemed to have made a valuable contribution in society over their lifetimes, the French have a similar set-up. The Legion of Honour is the highest accolade that the French state can award and is only given to those whose influence is unquestionable.French footballing great Zinedine Zidane will have his ranking in the Legion lifted from a knight to an officer it was announced this afternoon.
At 36 years of age, 'Zizou' will be remembered as one of the truly great footballers of his generation, performing with Cannes, Girondins de Bordeaux, Juventus, Real Madrid and France with distinction during a career that spanned 18 seasons.
Few players can claim to have won the titles that the Marseille-born superstar has won. Domestically, Zidane has won titles both in Italy and in Spain in addition to achieving great continental success, victorious in the European Cup – few will forget his sumptuous winning goal for Real Madrid against Bayern Leverkusen - and twice the European Super Cup
It is his exploits with the French international side that are really being recognised today. Zidane was a spearhead of the French international side that dominated international football at the turn of the millennium, playing pivotal roles as France claimed their first ever World Cup title in 1998, famously scoring two goals, and then followed this with a dramatic European Championship success a year later.
The Légion d'honneur, as the French recognise it, has five levels, of which Zidane has been promoted to the fourth-most rank, officer – one step ahead of a knight. There is a maximum quota of 10,000 officers at any one time so the award is truly unique and special.
Jacques Lambert, president of the FFF, was also upgraded to an officer while Fernand Duchaussoy, chairman of the French amateur leagues (the LFFA), has been made a knight.