When Lambert shackled Zidane

It is 25 years since Borussia Dortmund became champions of Europe for the only time in the club's history. It was the day that they beat holders Juventus in the 1997 Champions League final. It was the day that Paul Lambert shackled Zinedine Zidane.

The great Zidane has not forgotten it. Years later, when Lambert visited Real Madrid's training ground to see Carlo Ancelotti and Paul Clement, the latter alerted the Frenchman to the Scot's presence. "He just put his head in his hands," Lambert tells Sky Sports.

"He said, 'Oh no, not you again!'. That was nice."

Zidane was in his first season at Juventus, not quite the icon of the game he would become upon winning the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or the following year but still close to his peak. The challenge of limiting his influence was going to define the final.

"At that time, he was probably developing into the best player in the world," says Lambert. "I knew he was always going to be the threat because of how elegant he was with the ball. He was a class player, both feet, a tall guy with skill. He could do everything."

Lambert was also in his first season at a new club, a free transfer from Motherwell. He evolved into a holding midfielder in the Bundesliga, tasked with keeping the opposition's creative players quiet. A gritty Glaswegian, he fitted in well at Dortmund.

"Dortmund as a city is quite similar to Glasgow. It is hard-working, it is industrial. I think the Dortmund fans knew what they were getting. They took to me really quickly. I guess it is the way I played. I knew exactly what I had to do. My job was to look at the No 10.

"That was my role, really, with Zidane."

The problem was that in the early stages of the game, Zidane proved elusive. His tendency to