EGYPT: SOCCER - French soccer star Zinedine Zidane visits Egypt for the first time, taking part in a project to help street children and a charity football match

French soccer star Zinedine Zidane visits Egypt for the first time, taking part in a project to help street children and a charity football match. French football legend Zinedine Zidane received a rapturous welcome in Egypt as he arrived to lend his star power to a project supporting Cairo's thousands of street children. Zidane, who comes from a family of Algerian immigrants, spent three days in Egypt, where he attended the opening of a home for street children and played in charity soccer match with Egyptian youngsters. The trip was sponsored by the French food manufacturing company Danone in cooperation with Egypt's National Council for Childhood and Motherhood as part of an international project to help disadvantaged children. The French soccer icon, who was captain of France's World Cup and European Cup winning sides, was mobbed by fans chanting his nickname, "Zizou", at the charity match on Friday (November 2). The Chief Operating Officer of Danone, Bernard Hours, said that Zidane, who retired from professional football in 2006, was determined to use his celebrity for a good cause. "Because Zidane is a very famous person, he is genuinely caring about kids. He is one hundred percent convinced that he has to use his huge awareness to help kids in the world. And that's why he was interested in Danone program," he said. Zidane, who is widely regarded as the finest footballer of his generation, played with a group of young Egyptian footballers and wowed the crowds with the effortless skill on the ball he was so famous for. The French footballer has traveled with Danone as their "world ambassador for children" to several other countries, including Indonesia and Bangladesh, to help promote charity projects for disadvantaged children. Street children face violence and deprivation daily on the crowded streets of Cairo, Africa's most populous city. The UN says that in the Egyptian capital alone there are several hundred thousand homeless children. The project being promoted by Zidane is intended to provide at least some of those children with homes as well as basic health care, education and job training. The many fans who came to see Zidane play yesterday lauded him as an Arab hero. "The thing I like most about Zidane is that he is an Arab player, and he was able to reach a very high level in soccer, he overtaken many players like Ronaldhino, and he's the player I like the most, I like him more than my family even," said Abdul Rahman. While Zidane is from Arab-majority Algeria, his family is from the non-Arab ethnic Berber region of Kabilye. Zidane, who is Muslim, has never addressed the issue of ethnicity, but is thought to be Berber. Zidane's parents left Algeria in 1962 and moved to the southern French city of Marseille, where he grew up. One young admirer at yesterday's match said she wished Egyptian star players would emulate Zidane's attitude. "There are no Egyptian players who are playing with small children in this type of charity event, teaching them something like this. And so I hope to see Egyptian players doing something like this," she said. Former Real Madrid and Juventas midfielder Zidane retired from professional football after being sent off for head-butting Marco Materazzi as France lost to Italy in the 2006 World Cup final. He had previously led France to World Cup victory in 1998, and had won every major honour at the club, international and professional levels.

ITN Source | November 4, 2007

Tags:. .attended. .wished. .sponsored. .crowds. .crowded