He was written off as past it, but Zinedine Zidane has proved them all wrong with a matchwinning display against Brazil that confirms his position as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The masterly 34-year-old midfielder had already destroyed the South Americans in the 1998 final in Paris scoring two goals in a 3-0 win.
And he was the inspiration again in Frankfurt late Saturday eclipsing world footballer of the year Ronaldinho in midfield and gliding over the 57th minute free-kick to the unmarked Thierry Henry at the far post for him to volley in the winner.
The tributes flowed in, most tellingly from the greatest footballer of all time, Pele. "Zidane was the magician in the game," the Brazilian, who also wore the No 10 shirt, said.
"Zidane is one of the greatest players in history, a magnificent player," Germany's two time World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer said on the eve of his Brazil masterpiece.
Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira described the Real Madrid midfielder simply as "a monster".
Another Gallic icon, Michel Platini, ventured: "Technically, I think he is the king of what's fundamental in the game: control and passing, because I don't think anyone can match him when it comes to controlling or receiving the ball."
The Marseillais' mastery was at the core of France's charge to the title on home turf in 1998, his two bullet headers in the final earning him cult status.
"I think his two goals left an indelible mark on a whole generation," said Platini.
The Arc de Triomphe was bathed in his image that night, the boulevards of Paris rang out with the name of the player whose journey to stardom began when a talent scout spotted him as a 14-year-old from the backstreets of Marseille.
Zidane's success was presented as the embodiment of multi-racial France, an image that as last autumn's riots showed was still some way from being realised.
While the Zidane magic has inevitably been blunted by the passing years the father-of-four showed glimpses of his imperious best in the group games in Germany and his full genius has resurfaced in the knockout stages.
Having retired once from the international scene after les Bleus failed to retain their European title at Euro 2004 he returned after a nocturnal visitation to help steer his struggling team-mates through qualification to Germany.
Of that mysterious incident he said: "One night about three o'clock in the morning I woke up suddenly and began speaking with someone. Afterwards I didn't tell anyone about it, not even my wife.
"It was like a revelation, and suddenly I realised I had to go back on my decision to retire."
His unscripted u-turn with three qualifiers to go sparked euphoria among France fans and an immediate upturn in the national team's performance.
With Zidane back as number ten France safely secured their place in the 2006 finals as group winners.
A three time FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000 and 2003 Zidane made his France debut in a friendly against the Czech Republic on August 17, 1994, scoring the first of his 28 international goals.
His club career took off under Luis Fernandez' Cannes before his 17th birthday.
After a spell at Bordeaux, Zidane moved to Juventus who splashed out four million dollars to secure his artistry.
In Italy his stock rose sharply as he won the European Super Cup, two Intercontinental Cups and two Italian championships. After helping France win Euro 2000 he moved to Real for what is still a record 75 million euros and two years later he scored a superb left-footed volley in the Spaniards' win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final.
"Through his immense talent and multiple exploits, Zizou has made his mark forever on the history of French and international football," says Domenech.
And there remain two games - against Portigal in the semi-finals on Wednesday and in the case of a French victory a second World Cup final in Berlin on July 9 against either Germany or Italy.
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