Pippo Inzaghi: "That night in Kiev that tells you what it was like to play with someone like Zidane"

Pippo Inzaghi , speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport , has opened up on his relationship with Zinedine Zidane during their time together at Juventus from 1997 to 2001: "I can say I was fortunate enough to play with someone like Zizou: for a striker, knowing you have a team-mate like that behind you is truly a great privilege. Zizou always knew how to put you in the best possible position on the pitch. Often, one right movement was enough and he had already seen everything: that was how it went."

Asked about Zidane's greatest strength, he said: "I’d say his technical quality, obvious to everyone, but what struck me most was the naturalness with which Zidane made even the most difficult plays seem simple. For that reason, I was never surprised to see him become a great coach."

That night in Kiev

The current Palermo manager added: " Zizou was a fantastic team-mate, just like Kaká, a real godsend for someone like me who played up front. That is why I previously underlined how lucky I was to have met him".

On that special night: " If I think of a match played together with Zizou, what comes back to mind is a truly special night, in the Champions League, in Kyiv in 1998 . We were coming off a 1-1 draw in the first leg and had to go there and win. For the first goal, Zidane put me through with one of those balls that only he could deliver. The second goal too, a header, came from one of his corners. In Kyiv I scored a hat-trick and we won 4-1. That night tells you well, very well, what it meant to play with someone like Zidane ".