No ifs or butts as Zidane heads list of France’s favourite celebrities

DESPITE that famous World Cup headbutt — or perhaps because of it — retired soccer star Zinedine Zidane is France’s favourite celebrity, a poll said.

Zidane, whose attack on Italian player Marco Materazzi brought a bizarre end to his 18-year career, came out on top in an Ifop poll published in the weekend newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

He dethroned last year’s favourite, tennis player and singer Yannick Noah, who is now in second place.

Though many observers predicted the headbutt — which earned Zidane a red card in the final minutes of France’s World Cup final against Italy — would taint his legacy, the move has only seemed to solidify his status as a national hero. Some people applauded Zidane’s reaction to Materazzi’s taunting, saying it made him more human.

France lost the match 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out.

Fellow soccer stars Fabien Barthez and Franck Ribery, who played alongside Zidane in France’s national team, were No 14 and No 15 on the list. Actor Jean Reno came in at No 5, while Socialist presidential hopeful Segolene Royal placed a distant 49.

The poll of 987 people was conducted between July 10 and 18.

No margin of error was given.