"Whats the meaning of the Mona Lisa smile?" Well, this question was the most famous one in the world, only until Sunday, July 9. "Why would Zinadene Zidane do such a thing?", people started asking then. He was there all the time, resurged like a phoenix, leading the Frech musketeers. He was there, the dangerous Zidane as commentators would call him, standing tall as an acclaimed commnder with his supreme skills and undisputable sporting talent. We cheered Zidane, as we were thrilled when you stood at the corner each time to bend fortune with football. We screamed as the master dribbled the ball through crowd. Myriads of spectators turn their heads through degrees as his free feet fettered their sights right from the midfield to the animated forward. We hoped when he prepared the ball. We breathed heavily when the captain put a life in an 8 inch diameter with his blithe passes and slick forwards. We adored the adroit hero of the soccer world with all that we could think of. And still, we had saved the best of our adulatory phrases and approbatory epithets for him in the world cup final. There was no one in his way when he was about to board the flight which had tickets only for legendaries like Pele and Marodona. Then what went"offside"?
Had the great man let it go when he exchanged the words with Marco Materazzi, the gold might have glittered bright with the white instead of shining true with the blue. Zidane's career pivoted around a moment and fell off on the wrong side. The anger dribbled it out of the composure. The derangement took a free kick and guess what, the poise missed it! The expectations were cornered, the dreams were red carded. Now what we want to know is that what were the magical words Marco uttered to the header specialist? Dit it have any racial background? What was that all about? But really, are these important questions now? I think these questions are only to be answered for media and by media, and most probably not with the unique answer. The reporters would burn midnight oil writing all possible theroies behind it and readers will read with the same astonishment each time. And even the truth be told, what diffrenece would it make? What has only been ossified as a memory in the mind of the world is nothing but the unbelievable headbutt of bald Zidane in to the Marco's chest. The last header!

I think life tests you through hard times, times of frustrations. It tests you for tranquility, balance and rationale. It does that friends, but it would often be a surpirse test. Life had been bizzarely choosy for Zidane as it had to happen when his career spun at the apogee. The man has once won the world cup for his country. The man has already proved himself. Idiots will be those, who will doubt his greatness. Let the moments of FIFA world cup be bestowed with the powers of articulation and what they will recount is 'Zidane is a great player, we have seen! It is just that it takes something more to be the greatest', they would surely add.