HAMELN, Germany -- Zinedine Zidane's career is just about over, shutting the light on a brilliant career. The end might be painful.

The glory of the 1998 World Cup title has faded in a wave of international soccer disappointment. Zidane rarely has been able to place his creative stamp on France's national team in recent years.

And now he must sit out Friday's match with Togo, a game in which the French must win for any chance to avoid another opening-round elimination -- almost matching the ignominy of their goal-less departure from the 2002 tournament.

Zidane already has announced his retirement from international and club soccer. Will the final image of this star be his chucking the captain's armband into the team dugout upon his removal from a 1-1 tie with South Korea? Will the scowl on his face as he walked past coach Raymond Domenech be the lasting memory?

If so, that is a shame.

The career of Zidane, who turns 34 Friday, has been mixture of sublime skill, some genius, and a fierce passion that occasionally descended into wild aggression.

His two header goals lifted France past Brazil to win the 1998 World Cup at home. Earlier in the tournament, an angry moment led to his being red-carded for stamping on a Saudi Arabia player.

Head-bowed, Zidane trudged off the field, knowing he had let his teammates down. Coach Aime Jacquet, face boiling red with anger, refused to look at him.

A few weeks later, he was the toast of Paris and all of France as Les Bleus won its only world title.

Five years ago, Zidane head-butted Jochen Kientz in a Champions League match for Juventus against Hamburger SV. But a year later, his magical volley gave Real Madrid its ninth European title.

Zidane was FIFA World Player of the Year three times. He ranks alongside Michel Platini as France's most gifted player ever.

"He did not have the scoring of Platini, or the vision," said Just Fontaine, a former France striker whose 13 goals in the 1958 are still a record for a World Cup. "But Zidane was more skillful and could beat a man better."

Not lately. The French broke a four-goal World Cup goal-scoring drought against Togo, but the lack of offense has been a trademark recently. In qualifying, they scored 14 times in 10 matches, with Zidane getting only one goal in four games. They were shut out three times.

With Thierry Henry and Zidane in the lineup, that's some serious underachieving.

Of course, France could still qualify for the second round, and "Zizou" could return and spark a turnaround. He's done it before.

Zidane grew up in a housing project in Marseille's impoverished La Castellane district. The son of an Algerian immigrant, he honed his balance and technique on unforgiving concrete pitches surrounding the immigrant neighborhood.

It was a soccer culture where the strongest stood out, and cheap fouls were met with retribution.

At 16, he was spotted by a scout from French club Cannes. Jean Varraud telephoned youth team coach Jean Fernandez.

"Jean, I've just found you a genius," Varraud said.

Zidane made his Cannes debut in 1989, and marked his first season with a goal of rare audacity. Taking the ball at midfield, he dribbled past six players before scoring.

He led Bordeaux to the UEFA Cup final in 1995-96. During a match against AC Milan, scouts from Serie A watched a fine Zidane performance -- and Juventus signed him.

He won two Serie A titles with Juventus, but lost two Champions League finals. Then Zidane joined Real Madrid for $65 million. Zidane wanted the Champions League crown, the only trophy missing after he sparked France's win at the European Championship in 2000.

In the semifinal of the Euros against Portugal, France earned a penalty kick late in extra time. Zidane wiped off the sweat drenching his face, carefully placed the ball, and took a few steps back. Some Portugal players whispered in Zidane's ear as they walked past.

Zidane avoided goalie Vitor Baia's glare, and curled the ball into the top left corner for yet another big score.

His goals against Brazil at the World Cup showed his talent, the penalty against Portugal displayed iron mental strength.

"I played with Platini," said former France captain Marius Tresor. "Zidane has a similar personality. Someone who is able to guide the team ... a class apart."

He certainly held that position in 1998, although before the World Cup final Zidane had not done that much to justify his tag as a world beater. Then Zidane wrapped up the final before halftime, and sent France into rapture.

The plaudits rolled as fans danced along the Champs-Elysees, and Zidane's watchful face shone down from the Arc de Triomphe:

-- Zizou, the man who showed all French people, regardless of origin, could get along.

-- To acknowledge its cultural diversity, the team was nicknamed "Black, Blanc, Beure" (Black, White, Arab), a play on words of Bleu, Blanc, Rouge (Blue, White, Red), the colors of the French flag.

"If there had been general elections that night, Zidane would have won," joked Tresor, a black player who captained France and played with Platini at the 1982 World Cup.

"When you looked at the team, it was a very colored team, with Zidane at its head," Tresor said. "He was an icon."