Crossword Clue: Soccer great Zidane
Here's the answer to the Soccer great Zidane crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ZINEDINE
ZINEDINE solves the clue "Soccer great Zidane". Spanning 8 letters (4 vowels, 4 consonants), it begins at Z and ends at E. Like most crossword fill, it lives at the intersection of two words, so a single confirmed crossing letter frequently reveals the whole entry.
Origin & meaning
Zinedine Zidane is a French soccer legend and later a title-winning manager. He led France to victory in the 1998 World Cup.
Common usage
Zinedine turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like ZINEDINE interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 8-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 8 letters, ZINEDINE shows up in daily mini and themed puzzles far more than longer, obscure words. It's the kind of entry worth memorizing — the more common short words you know cold, the faster you solve.
Stuck on this clue?
If this clue won't come, leave it and fill the answers that cross it. Once a couple of ZINEDINE's letters are locked by neighboring words, the entry tends to reveal itself. Crossings beat staring at a clue every time.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue ZINEDINE — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed ZINEDINE was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing ZINEDINE into the grid took no time at all."
- "Zinedine is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."