Ex-Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Bennett Mnguni has revisited the night he shared the pitch with former France captain Zinedine Zidane.
Mnguni has sensationally claimed Zidane asked him for his shirt and admitted to having been “outplayed” by the South African when Real Madrid hosted Lokomotiv Moscow in a Uefa Champions League match.
That December 2002 night at the Santiago Bernabeu saw Lokomotiv Moscow earning a 2-2 draw in a Group C match of the then second Group stage format.
After Zidane asked for his shirt, they swapped jerseys and Mnguni further claimed other Real Madrid stars in that squad made up of ‘galacticos’ gave him their shirts.
“After the game, Zidane came to me and asked for my jersey and he said to me, ‘no one has ever outplayed me’,” Mnguni told Thabiso Mosia on MetroFM Sport as per iDiski Times.
“He asked what is your name and where are you from and why are you playing in Russia? I got the jerseys of Ronaldo [Nazario], Zidane, [Roberto] Carlos and [Iker] Casillas.
“I said to Zidane that I’m from South Africa and he asked what am I doing in Russia and why am I playing there. I said I’m there to work. He was very impressed with me. I knew with Zidane I had to be the first man on the ball and that was the only way.”
Lokomotiv Moscow, however, ended that campaign bottom of Group C and winless, including losing 1-0 at home against Madrid in the reverse fixture.
AC Milan and Borrusia Dortmund completed their pool which was won by the Italians while Los Blancos were runners-up.
Milan went on to win that season’s Champions League title, Serie A rivals Juventus on penalties in the final, and Real Madrid’s campaign ended at the semi-final stage.
After that season, Mnguni joined Lokomotiv Moscow’s rivals Rostov and then ended up playing in China, before returning home to rejoin Sundowns.
He then also turned out for AmaZulu and Thanda Royal Zulu and a stint in Myanmar before retiring in 2009.