Zidane

His monumentally-checked rage is the same lidded turbulence felt by every immigrant* constantly required to chant and gesture subservience-association to a national/regional/caste identity at every evaluated city exchange. Casual questions at every casual encounter working to disorient and marginalize without dignity. This is the undressing: Where are you from/religion? And what language do you speak? But where were you born? You werent born in this country? STOP. So you lie to feel better. Who thinks the spraying prattle was shrapnel? If this is what you're up against when all you wanted was free air and acceptance, you seek out others like you and in cities we witness instinctive community groupings - like any nagar you pick around the city - like the quartier difficile council estate immigrant quarters in Marseilles. This is where Zidane was born and grew rough; he's never forgotten that - and one thing it gives you is a rage that never dies; a discontent that is very very different from the indignation of the anointed (new england) balking brahmin. It makes a different kind of man, and a precious one like Zidane when you've channelled the rage, if chanelling is at all how it works. Exceptional discipline - definitely.

In significant French secular tradition, Zidane is a professed 'non-practising Muslim' and his play defined by something supremely harmonic and magically predestined. Keeping aside rationalism, when one of his only two other notable outrages on field involved stamping on the deservedly fallen captain of the saudi arabian team, you see his nobility: this was an act of pure graven justice coming down on the perverse soulless presence of saudi arabia. For a little fact on this incident: "this action was widely applauded in the Berber community as Zidane’s revenge on hated Arab 'extremists’". You see Berber Muslim is not Arab Muslim. And so, Muslim, is not an umbrella identity. Culture is the rug; (of Madrid) he says, 'It is a Mediterranean city, and that is really my culture.’
For someone who is an entrenched French icon, its tiring to know he's still called upon to repeat his fidelity. This great article tells you all he has to duck and sidestep and speak just to be.

O - and all 3 Zidane's sons wear italian names. Perfect.
More French than Gaul.



*Both immigrant and those who move within a country.
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Reference: Almost entirely - http://www.kabyles.com/article.php3?id_article=2271