'I marked Zidane out of Munich Champions League final - nothing fazed me'
Zinedine Zidane was nullified in a Champions League final in Munich during his Juventus days as Scot Paul Lambert inspired Borussia Dortmund to victory in 1997
If Didier Drogba is known for dominating the last final in Munich then it is a Scotsman who has his name up in lights before that. The iconic but now vacated Olympiastadion in Munich was home to Bayern Munich for years - and held its fair share of European Cup finals.
The modern day Allianz Arena remains a sight to behold, but the nostalgia of a running track and Olympic heritage was the stage on which one Paul Lambert silenced Zinedine Zidane as Borussia Dortmund shocked Juventus to claim the Champions League.
The German side went in as firm underdogs against the Italians, who were also defending champions. If Dortmund had any advantage it was playing in their own country, but that was about it.
They couldn't compete with the names of the Old Lady's team sheet as Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero rolled into town. A man from Glasgow, who had previously played for St Mirren and Motherwell, hadn't read the script.
Lambert would provide the assist for Karl-Heinz Riedle's opener, but his most impressive accomplishment was nullifying Zidane. The Frenchman was only 12 months out from winning the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or, but the Scot had made a man who was become immortal seem pretty mortal.
He previously told the Guardian: 'I was mentally strong. Playing in front of big crowds never fazed me, playing against big players never fazed me. I grew up in a hard area with my mum and dad, nothing fazed me. I compartmentalised my football side and my family side. I was never one to show weakness.
"I'm sure some people would call it unhealthy. You're putting a mask on things. My dad would always say: 'You've got more faces than Mike Yarwood, Paul.' People say: 'You marked Zidane out of the game.' But I was part of a great team, we did the whole thing collectively. But I had game intelligence to play with world-class players, where the ball is going to drop.
"The thing about Zidane, he drifts off your shoulder. He often goes away from the ball, almost baiting you. But the ball's not the danger, it's him. Zidane did put me on the backside a couple of times because he's brilliant. But he's not going to evaporate, is he?
'After the final, Juventus wanted to sign me but there was no way I was moving. Franz Beckenbauer asked me if I would be interested in joining Bayern. I had everything at Dortmund, though."
That would prove to be Lambert's only year with the German side as his family situation led him to return home, but his place in history was confirmed as he was named the man-of-the-match.
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