Filippo Inzaghi’s Juventus years included four seasons alongside Zinedine Zidane, a partnership recalled less through nostalgia than through the simple advantages it gave a centre-forward: the right run, the right pass, and a midfielder who had already understood the move.
Four seasons in black and white
The pair first appeared together on 23 August 1997, at the Delle Alpi in the Italian Super Cup final against Vicenza. Inzaghi scored twice and supplied an assist, while Zidane spent a little more than an hour on the pitch as Juventus moved beyond the surprise finalists.
Their final Juventus appearance arrived on 17 June 2001 against Atalanta. By then, the two had shared 137 matches and close to 10,000 minutes in the shirt. Zidane provided 13 assists for Inzaghi goals during that spell.
Inzaghi described the Frenchman as an exceptional advantage for any forward. “To have a player like Zizou behind you was a great privilege,” he said. “He always knew how to put you in the best possible position on the pitch.”
For the striker, there was no complicated formula to their understanding. One well-timed movement was often enough. “He had already seen everything,” Inzaghi said, explaining that Zidane could make even the hardest actions appear natural.
The Kiev memory
Among their European nights, Inzaghi returns to Kyiv in 1998. Juventus had drawn the first leg 1-1 and travelled needing a result in the Champions League.
Zidane set Inzaghi up for the opening goal with a pass that put him through on goal, before another contribution from the Frenchman — a corner — led to Inzaghi’s headed second. Inzaghi completed a hat-trick as Juventus won 4-1.
“That night explains very well what it meant to play with someone like Zidane,” Inzaghi said.
From player to coach
Inzaghi was not surprised that Zidane later succeeded as a coach. He pointed to the qualities that had shaped the midfielder’s playing career: football intelligence, personality and an ability to read the changing moments of a match.
“If you possess those qualities with the ball, you have what it takes to bring them into management as well,” Inzaghi said.
He placed Zidane alongside Kaká among the creative teammates who made life easier for a striker whose job was to finish chances. Both, he said, were a blessing for an attacking player.
Their paths separated after that Atalanta match in 2001. Inzaghi moved to AC Milan, while Zidane soon began his Real Madrid chapter. Yet the Juventus connection remains clear in Inzaghi’s recollection: a forward’s movement, followed by Zidane’s vision.
