Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane urged his side to remain calm after their Champions League hopes suffered a setback with a shock 2-0 loss at VfL Wolfsburg in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Wednesday.
Real Madrid reminded Olympique Lyon who they were up against in the Champions League by parading their French soccer spy Zinedine Zidane on Monday.
Marco Materazzi is taking legal action against three British newspapers over their reporting of the incident in last July's World Cup final when he clashed with Zinedine Zidane.
France playmaker Zinedine Zidane said his team is prepared for Brazil, who they meet in the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has warned Liverpool that his side are as hungry as ever to win the Champions League, rejecting claims that the Spanish giants might have lost their edge ahead of Saturday's final in Kiev.
Zidane was given a three-match ban and a 7,500 Swiss franc fine for head-butting Marco Materazzi in this month's World Cup final in Berlin.
'I said nothing to him about race, religion or politics. I did not talk about his mother either,' the Italian defender said.
Zinedine Zidane's successful seventh minute penalty for France against Italy on Sunday meant he became the fourth player to score three goals in the history of the World Cup final.
France go to the World Cup hoping the old maestro still has something left in his armoury
"It's my decision and it's final," the France and Real Madrid playmaker told French television channel Canal+.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is happy with his squad and the club has not discussed possible reinforcements despite FIFA's decision to ban them from the next two transfer windows, he said on Saturday. FIFA announced on Thursday it had banned Real and neighbours Atletico Madrid from registering players for the next two windows for breaching rules on signing non-Spanish Under-18 players. Both clubs denied wrongdoing and said they would appeal. The list of players included at least one of Zidane's four sons, who play for various Real youth teams, although the club have not confirmed which of them were singled out by FIFA.
The defending champions will also be without Zidane's Real Madrid team mate Claude Makelele for the Confederation's Cup.
The French midfielder and FIFA's World Player of the Year is also thinking when to quit the national side.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter hinted that the head-butt on Italy's Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final might cost the France captain the best player's award.
Marco Materazzi's agent said Zidane's head-butt was prompted by the Italian defender's loose comment about the French captain's wife.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo gave a ringing endorsement of new coach Zinedine Zidane and handed a rebuke to his sacked predecessor Rafa Benitez after Sunday's 5-1 La Liga victory at home to Sporting Gijon. Real have comfortably won both their matches since Zidane took over this month, a 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna and Sunday's demolition of lowly Gijon, and Ronaldo said the players had a better relationship with the former Real and France great, who is known as 'Zizou', than with the unpopular Benitez. The former Valencia, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli manager was discarded after less than half a season in the job after an indifferent run of results left Real trailing city rivals Atletico Madrid and champions Barcelona in La Liga. "To be honest, with some coaches you have more empathy than with others," Ronaldo told reporters after netting a double at the Bernabeu. "The truth is, don't ask me why, that the players have more empathy with Zizou," the Portugal forward added.
Ronaldinho is bidding to lift the trophy for the third year in a row.
The World Player of the Year rallied France to a 2-1 victory in their opening Group B match.
With 264 points, the Frenchman was voted ahead of Thierry Henry (186) and Ronaldo (176) for the prestigious accolade.
Former France captain Zinedine Zidane will appear before FIFA's disciplinary committee in Zurich on Thursday to give his account of the incident in which he head-butted an opponent in the World Cup final.
World player of the year Zinedine Zidane should retire from international football, former France coach Michel Hidalgo said on Wednesday.
Zinedine Zidane will accept an offer from Jose Mourinho to work more closely with the Real Madrid coach, the former France great has said.
Zinedine Zidane can stay at Real Madrid for life, club President Florentino Perez said on Saturday, after the Frenchman became the first manager to win the Champions League two years in a row with a dominant 4-1 win over Juventus.
The impact of a television advert featuring bid ambassador Zinedine Zidane has edged Qatar narrowly ahead in the race to host the 2022 World Cup finals, London bookmakers William Hill said on Tuesday.
But Saturday's Champions League final against his former club Juventus is a reminder that the Frenchman hasn't quite had it all his own way.
Real's record signing Bale has not played since injuring his groin against Barcelona on April 23 but is fit and available for the final in his home city of Cardiff after returning to training last Friday.
Former French midfielder Zinedine Zidane is glad he was sent-off for his head-butt in the 2006 World Cup final because he has not had to live with regret over escaping punishment.
The football ace came first in a ranking of France's Top 50 personalities, beating ex-tennis champion Yannick Noah, who came in second place.
Real Madrid have endured a miserable season since Zinedine Zidane left in May, first sacking Julen Lopetegui and then Santiago Solari.
Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted that he needs to rest more and that sitting out the odd game is in the interests of him and Real Madrid, coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday. Real's all-time top scorer has missed four of his team's 15 league games this season, two more than in the whole of the last campaign, and he was a surprise omission from the squad for Wednesday's King's Cup game against Sevilla. Zidane remarked last year that he would prefer Ronaldo to rest more after injuries forced him to miss vital games at the end of the season, although the Frenchman appears to have reached agreement with his talisman this campaign.
The thrice world footballer of the year says he's atthe peak of his career.
Give us your take on Tuesday's games in the World Cup!
The Real Madrid midfielder said he might consider returning for France in a bid to help the former world champions in their struggle to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
Zidane's remarks came after Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Inter Milan. Real Madrid secured a 2-0 win in the match.
Zinedine Zidane said he attacked Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final to defend the honour of his mother and sister.
