Zinedine Zidane leaves out Andres Iniesta in his best football XI

There was one noteworthy absence from Zinedine Zidane's list of the best football teams in the world, which he made after playing for Real Madrid and France. Zidane was among the top midfield players of his generation in his own right. His remarkable collection of 13 major club awards and his victory with France in the 1998 World Cup solidified his place in football history.

He transitioned to managing after retiring from playing in 2006. In 2014, he became the manager of Real Madrid "B." He took over as first team manager two years later in 2016 and helped Los Blancos win three straight Champions League titles. He departed in 2018 and came back in 2019.

Before leaving again in 2021, he led Madrid to La Liga in 2020. Since then, Zidane has not held a management position. According to Planet Football, Zidane selected his finest team in the world in 2014, long before he became a successful manager. He managed a number of these players after serving as Real Madrid's reserve manager at the time.

Who all made it to Zinedine Zidane’s best XI in football?

"Zizou" substituted old colleague Iker Casillas in goal. He chose a solid center-back combination of Pepe as well as Sergio Ramos in front of him, with Marcelo and Dani Alves, both Brazilians, on each side. Ramos received special praise from Zidane as the Spaniard was called "unique" on his 450th La Liga start in July 2020.

The Frenchman selected a potent midfield combination of Yaya Toure and Luka Modric. Additionally, most defenders would have been terrified by the attacking foursome he selected. Zidane picked Karim Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Given the Frenchman's prior admiration for the Spaniard, some may have been surprised that Zidane omitted Andres Iniesta, even though he only had 11 spots to fill. The 2010 World Cup winner was a crucial part of the Spain as well as FC Barcelona team.