Zinedine Zidane has previously named one Manchester United icon who was the ‘greatest of his generation’.

Zidane, 54, is often regarded as one of the best players to ever step onto a football pitch, having enjoyed an illustrious career spanning 17 years.

During his time as a player, Zidane, also known as ‘Zizou’, played for clubs such as Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid, scoring 125 goals in 695 club appearances.

The Frenchman also won countless trophies, including Serie A and La Liga titles, UEFA Champions Leagues and the 1998 World Cup with Les Bleus.

Since retiring, Zidane won three Champions Leagues as Madrid manager and recently took over as France manager, replacing Didier Deschamps.

Who is Zinedine Zidane's Toughest Opponent?

Although he is regarded as one of the greats of the game, Zidane previously named United legend Paul Scholes as his toughest opponent, according to a report by The Guardian. The 54-year-old also labelled Scholes as the greatest midfielder of his generation.

Zidane said: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation.”

Meanwhile, as reported by talkSPORT, Zidane was once asked: “What does it feel like to be the best player in the world?” The Frenchman is believed to have responded with: “I don’t know, ask Paul Scholes.”

Zidane said in a separate interview: “There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play.

“You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.”

However, during a chat with Lionel Messi, Zidane appeared to change his mind on Scholes being his toughest opponent; instead, he picked out Italy legend Paolo Maldini.

He said: “The toughest player? Well, not the toughest player, but the hardest one in the sense that he was very good. Not had in the sense that he wanted to hit you, you know?

“But the hardest one was Paolo Maldini because he was very smart and intelligent on the field.”