FORMER France star Jerome Rothen has revealed his hurt after Zinedine Zidane called him a ‘son of a b****’ in what he calls the ‘black point’ of his career.
In the 2003-04 season, Monaco sent Real Madrid crashing out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage in a thrilling tie.
Rothen has revealed a huge on-field row with Zidane in April 2004, calling it the ‘black point’ of his careerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Madrid’s Galacticos, including Zidane, had won the first-leg 4-2 at the Bernabeu and then went 1-0 up in Monaco.
But the French underdogs launched an incredible comeback to score three times and progress to the semis on away goals, with the aggregate score level at 5-5.
And Rothen, playing for Monaco that April night, has revealed his pain after Zidane – his France team-mate at the time – tore into him on the pitch as tensions boiled over.
Rothen revealed: “What happened with Zidane is a black point in my career.
“He told me ‘get up, you son of a b***’.
“Zidane and I knew each other from the French team.
“I didn’t understand what happened at that time because we had a good relationship.
“We were winning 3-1, we were set for the semi-finals and Zidane had lost the ball.
Rothen, No14, and Zidane, No10, were international team-mates for FranceCredit: AFP
“It was Real Madrid, the Galaticos, that were being eliminated by little Monaco.
“I can understand the frustration, but I did not understand these kinds of words.
“He is someone I knew, with whom I have trained and with which I have played in the national team.
“I’m not telling you that we were the best friends in the world.
“But I don’t understand the insults with someone who has played in the national team.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
