Zinedine Zidane Returns to Arena

Zinedine Zidane returns to the Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday night to the venue where he lost the Champions League final in 1998, as a Juventus player, to his current employers – Real Madrid – on a night when Marcello Lippi’s side were beaten by a Pedrag Mijatović's second-half strike. 

That night was to prove the start of a successful five year stint in the Champions League for the Madrid club as they went on to win the title two years later in Paris against Valencia, and again in 2001 at Hampden Park against Bayer Leverkusen – with Zidane scoring the most perfect of volleys just before half-time to virtually seal the match. 

For the match against Ajax this week Zidane returns to the Arena in an official capacity having just been appointed Presidential Adviser to Football by Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez. 

Only a handful of the finalists are still active in the game with Real Madrid's Clarence Seedorf at AC Milan; Edgar Davids just recently departed from Crystal Palace, after years at a variety of clubs in Europe; Raul now plays at Schalke 04 in the Bundes Liga; Roberto Carlos has returned to Brazil and plays for Corinthians after years at Fenerbahce; Alessandro del Piero still runs out for Juventus and Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi is at Milan and still scoring goals – two of which came against Real Madrid only two weeks ago in this season’s Champions League. 

Most of the others have retired and some are not involved in the game any longer. 

The goal scorer that May night in Amsterdam in 1998 became Director of Football at Real Madrid for three years leaving in 2009 but when the Club President Ramon Calderon lost office. During his tenure the Montenegrin made a few key signings during a spell of two La Liga titles with Arjen Robben, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra, Gonzalo Higuain, Marcelo Vieira, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart joining the club. 

But mostly Mijatović's will be remembered for the superstars that were promised to the fans in the election campaign that weren't signed - such as Cesc Fàbregas, Kaká, and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Frenchman Didier Deschamps is manager at Marseilles, Fernando Hierro is sporting director at the Royal Spanish Football Federation since September 2007; Christian Karembou is a current scout for Arsenal FC and non-executive director of Grandtop International Holdings Limited, which recently took over Birmingham City and Manolo Sanchis works as a radio and TV pundit in Spain. 

The managers are also still in work with Jupp Heycknes at Bayern Leverkusen and Marcello Lippi into his second year of his second spell managing Italy. 

So for Zinedine Zidane it is probably a logical progression to join the first team set up in his new role as presidential adviser and learn from one the most successful men off the field in European football in recent years, Jose Mourinho. 

Mourinho said of the appointment: "We all wanted this moment to come. Zidane will only contribute good things. He is very knowledgeable about football and we are very empathetic. 

"Bringing him on was a club decision that we all agreed upon. The club, the president and I all wanted him here. We cannot ask the fans, but I doubt anyone would have any objections. 

"The players are aware of his talent as a player and a person. He will have a close relationship with them and it will serve them well. 

"Zidane is Zidane, and that says it all. He is a football and Real Madrid icon. Although he played for other teams, I think this is the club that most defined his career and where he created the strongest bond with the fans. 

"He is a club and football man. He played in France, Italy and Spain. He knows about football on a global scale. We all believed he had to work here."