The retired maestro does miss the excitement of the beautiful game, though.

"It would be great to come back in football. But how, in which way... I don't know", Zidane told L'Equipe magazine in a rare interview this week.

What's for sure is that he won't delight crowds again with his inventive dribbling and wonderful passing. He says he has turned down offers from Major League clubs in Chicago and Los Angeles and his playing days are over for good.

So what could he do to get back involved?

It's hard to imagine him becoming a coach. Among the 1998 world champions, only captain Didier Deschamps and defence boss Laurent Blanc successfully moved from the pitch to coaching positions.

It's doubtful Zidane had the right profile anyway. He was a brilliant playmaker but he was never one to galvanise his team mates with words. And, don't forget, he was a bundle of nerves. He demonstrated that one last time with the famous head butt into Marco Materazzi's chest in the final game of his illustrious career, France's defeat by
Italy in the 2006 World Cup final.

Could he run a club, then? Doubtful again. Zidane is not a businessman and has  consistently avoided conflicts, at least in public. A man of few words, he is happiest out of the spotlight and wants to lead a quiet life as a family man.

So,what's left? A magician has many tricks and he will probably pull one out of his bag. If you've got any ideas in the mean time, please let us know in the comments.

PHOTO: Zidane, Pierluigi Collina and Ronaldo pictures ahead the fifth 'Match against Poverty' in the Rosaleda stadium in Malaga, November 19, 2007. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Some thought it was a one-off and a wake-up call for the big names in the team but the former Rangers manager, whose youngsters drew 0-0 at Valenciennes after a somewhat clumsy but energetic display, did it again a week later, this time against six-times champions Olympique Lyon.
 
His fresh faces, aged between 17 and 20 and all schooled at the club, lost 3-2 after another far from perfect but definitely spirited performance.
 
Would the usual suspects with salaries some would call obscene have done better? It is not clear after they narrowly escaped relegation last season.
 
What's certain is Le Guen did not act on a sudden impulse but has a long-term strategy. After years of frustrating seasons for the fans and mockery from observers, the capital side are now betting on their academy.
 
Le Guen knows PSG are sitting on a gold mine. Top names such as
Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele and William Gallas all grew up in the large Paris suburbs.

Let's not forget Nicolas Anelka, sold by PSG to Arsenal for less than a million euros in 1997 and bought back by the Paris club from Real Madrid for more than 30 millions in 2000.
 
PSG are famous for not only wasting money but also for leaving a young Ronaldinho on the bench when Luis Fernandez was in charge. 
 
At least Le Guen is trying to change that image and let youth have its chance. 
 
Bertrand Boucey, sports correspondent in Paris.

PHOTO: Paris Saint Germain coach Paul Le Guen before the French Ligue 1 match against Sochaux, Aug. 4  REUTERS/Regis Duvignau