34 years old. Player of Tournament. Panenka final penalty. Most elegant tournament farewell.
Zinedine Zidane's free-kick for France against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal — won 1–0 — was an exercise in tournament authority from a 34-year-old playing his final World Cup. The goal itself, thumped from 25 yards over the wall with his weaker right foot, was vintage Zidane: minimal fuss, maximum execution. He ended the tournament as Player of the Tournament despite being sent off with a headbutt in the final, scoring a defining Panenka penalty. His 2006 run remains the most elegant farewell to a major tournament in football history.

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