Former Wallaby Marco Caputo meets Zinedine Zidane

The day I met Zidane

Marco Caputo, former Wallaby and Brumbies star.

Football in the Capital caught up with Marco Caputo at Dickson Oval as he was watching his children play football. Well, he was until I interrupted him! And then we started talking football and before you know it, it was half-time in his daughters game and we missed the whole thing.

Marco tells of the day he met the one of the World's top footballers, Zinedine Zidane. During the week we'll hear Marco's thoughts on his love of Italian football, the game in Australia, and his desire to see a Canberra A-League side

Marco takes up the story:

“I was playing golf one day with Olivier Magne, French International Rugby Star in France. We were at a golf club owned by Evian water. For six months of the year you couldn’t play as the course was under snow. There was a helicopter buzzing around. In fact it had been so close we could hardly concentrate on the golf. Anyway we head into have lunch when the helicopter lands."

"A massive Polynesian guy gets out all wired up and there is a whole entourage in tow. TV cameras the lot. "

“I’m thinking this guy must be important if he’s got security and the rest.”

"Anyway this guy gets out of the helicopter and comes in to the restaurant and walks towards us. "

"Olivier gets up and says, “I’ve got a mate here, do you mind if he joins us as he doesn’t know anyone here?”

“Sure,” I say. I’m looking at this guy walking towards us, thinking I recognize him.

“It was Zinedine Zidane. He’s a big Rugby fan and wanted to talk Rugby, but I just wanted to talk football.”

"He’d just moved from Juventus to Real Madrid and he talks Italian obviously so I was able to chat with him."

“We discussed who the best French player was ever. He thought Platini, I thought Cantona. I loved his strut, the way he commanded the stage.”

“It was great. Here I am having this discussion about sport with Zidane. I couldn’t believe it. And then his mobile rings. "

“Look guys he says I’m sorry but I have to go. Zidane says it’s Scolari, his coach at Real Madrid. I’m wanted back at training in one hour; we have a big champion’s league game coming up.”

“Zidane had been shooting an advert for Evian and had played for France the night before. He gets on the phone, rings the helicopter pilot. In a few minutes the helicopter comes again, picks Zidane up and he’s gone!”

“ It was amazing. He was like a rock star just flying in, but he was also very down to earth. It was great to meet him.”

“It’s hard to explain how these top player live, if you haven’t seen it.”

Great story Marco. We'll have more from Marco during the week.