Zinedine Zidane is a former professional soccer player. Born in Marseilles, France, he is of Algerian descent, his parents having moved to France before he was born. In the 2006 World Cup, he was ejected from the game in the final minutes of the match because he headbutted Marco Materazzi, a player who—according to lipreaders who have studied their tense exchange—called him a “Big Algerian Shit,” a “dirty terrorist,” and the n-word (it’s worth noting that the exact translations of these phrases, which were not uttered in English, appear to vary in Citizen from what newspapers reported, though the general character of the insults remains the same either way). Rankine includes a frame-by-frame photographic progression of this moment, surrounding it with quotes from philosophers and writers about identity, the history of racism and discrimination, and anger.
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Zinedine Zidane Character Timeline in Citizen: An American Lyric
The timeline below shows where the character Zinedine Zidane appears in Citizen: An American Lyric. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...photographic progression of the moment during the 2006 World Cup when the French player Zinedine Zidane headbutted the Italian player Marco Materazzi. At first, the images depict Zidane jogging away from...
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After the lipreaders’ account of what Materazzi said to provoke Zidane, there is a quote from Frantz Fanon about how Algerian people frequently find themselves the...
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In the frame-by-frame photographic progression, Zidane approaches Materazzi. The words Materazzi said to him repeat multiple times, as quotes continue to...
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