The 2006 World Cup Final, France against Italy, a penalty to take and Gianluigi Buffon in goal. Most players would have picked a corner and hit it firmly. Zinedine Zidane chipped it down the middle.
Buffon dived. The ball floated in. It was a Panenka in the biggest match in football, with the whole world watching, and it remains one of the boldest penalties ever taken.
Not a one-off
Zidane was a reliable penalty taker long before Berlin. His conversion rate was excellent at Juventus and then at Real Madrid, where he scored important spot kicks in La Liga and the Champions League during the Galácticos years.
What set him apart was the nerve to be playful when everything was on the line. Plenty of great players can place a ball in a corner. Very few would risk looking foolish in a World Cup Final to do something elegant instead.
It is a pity that his last game is remembered mostly for the headbutt. The chip that came before it deserves at least equal billing, and it is why he sits at number 20.
Tomorrow: we reach number 19.
