Class is permanent

“Ronaldo and Zidane prove class is permanent” – this is the headline displayed today at http://www.fifaworldcup2006.com/. Very appropriate indeed. Two legends heading into the twilights of their magnificent football careers.

Ronaldo plays for Brazil. Zinedine Zidane plays for France. They are two of the greatest footballers ever, combining to win 6 FIFA World Player of the Year awards and 3 World Cups. They have met before in the 1998 World Cup Finals, with Zidane scoring twice to lead France over Brazil. It was Ronaldo’s turn 4 years later to hoist the World Cup trophy, as he led Brazil in 2002. The two rivals have become good friends then, as teammates in Spanish club Real Madrid, and as goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations, even appearing in some UN ads and playing in "Matches Against Poverty."

Before the start of this year’s once-every-four-years World Cup, Ronaldo had been criticized for being overweight and unfit, and many have questioned his inclusion in the Brazil starting 11. Zidane, on the other hand, has made it clear that after the competition, he would be retiring from the sport, ending one of the greatest footballing careers ever. It seems inevitable that this would be the last time these two will be performing in the world’s biggest football stage.

Yesterday, Ronaldo and Zidane proved that they still have it. They may not be as quick, as strong, and as agile as their former selves, but they could still perform. Brazil took on Ghana. France took on Spain. Ronaldo and Zidane both scored as they led their teams to victories.

For Ronaldo, it was making his critics eat their own words, as he scored for the third time this year and broke the record for the most World Cup goals ever with his 15th. For Zidane, it was simpler – extending his career for at least one more match. For both, it was proving to everyone not to count them out yet.

They may be older now and it may be true that there are emerging superstars around them. Brazil has Ronaldinho, the current FIFA World Player of the Year, while France has the younger Thierry Henry. Interestingly, Ronaldinho and Henry led their respective European clubs, Barcelona and Arsenal, to the UEFA Champions League Finals this year. The two could be heirs to Ronaldo and Zidane’s thrones, but for now, they still are overshadowed by their legendary compatriots. They have proven that class is indeed permanent.

And what do those two victories mean?

As the cliché goes, “a match made in heaven.” The wins resulted in a quarterfinal meeting between Brazil and France. The storyline couldn’t be better than this. It was Brazil versus France once more. Ronaldo versus Zidane one last time. The only sad thing is that one has two lose.

Then again, they already are proven winners. And they will always be remembered as such.