Moments article
Zidane's Volley, 2002: The Greatest Goal in Champions League Final History
Most great goals are built. Passes, runs, patterns. This one was not built at all. It came out of nothing, from a ball that should have been nothing, and it has been talked about ever since.
The Setting
Glasgow’s Hampden Park, 15 May 2002. Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final. Madrid were chasing a ninth European Cup. Leverkusen, a remarkable side who had already lost the Bundesliga title and the German Cup final in a painful few weeks, were chasing a first.
Raúl gave Madrid an early lead. Lúcio headed Leverkusen level soon after. As half-time approached, it was 1-1 and finely balanced.
A Cross That Wasn’t
Roberto Carlos, as he so often did, flew down the left. But the Leverkusen defence had covered him, and there was no clear cross to be had. So he simply hooked the ball up into the Glasgow sky — high, looping, hopeful.
It came down, very slowly, towards the edge of the penalty area. Waiting underneath it was Zinedine Zidane.
The sensible thing was to control it. Kill the ball, turn, find a pass. Zidane did not do the sensible thing.
The Volley
He adjusted his body as the ball dropped, opened his hips, and met it on the full with his left foot — his weaker foot — before it ever touched the grass. The ball flew into the top corner of Hans-Jörg Butt’s net.
The timing was absurd. The ball had been falling from a great height, spinning, and he struck it cleanly at the exact moment it reached him. It was the kind of goal you might try a hundred times in training and never score.
It proved to be the winner. Real Madrid won 2-1 and lifted their ninth European Cup.
Watch the moment
The Boot
On Zidane’s feet were black, red and white adidas Predator Mania boots, released just weeks earlier ahead of the 2002 World Cup.
The Mania is, for many people, the definitive Predator: a kangaroo leather upper, an external heel counter, refined rubber striking elements and the famous fold-over tongue held down by an elasticated strap. It already had a strong claim to being the best-looking boot of its era. Zidane’s volley made it immortal.
The boot and the goal are now inseparable. In 2022, twenty years on, adidas re-released the Predator Mania in the same colourway — limited to 2,002 pairs, one for each year of the goal’s number.
Zidane and the Predator
Zidane was a Predator man through his best years. He wore the Accelerator as France won the 1998 World Cup, the Precision as they won Euro 2000, the Mania at Hampden, and a white and gold Absolute in the 2006 World Cup final, the last match of his career.
In 2026, adidas marked thirty years of its partnership with Zidane with a special edition Predator, its fold-over tongue carrying his logo in gold in a nod to the Hampden volley. See the current Zidane special editions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What boots did Zidane wear when he scored his 2002 Champions League final volley?
He wore the adidas Predator Mania in black, red and white.
When and where was Zidane’s volley?
In the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on 15 May 2002, just before half-time.
Who crossed the ball for Zidane’s volley?
Roberto Carlos, with a high, looping ball from the left wing.
Which foot did Zidane score with?
His left foot.
Read more: Zinedine Zidane and the Predator · The Predator Mania · More Predator Moments