When World Cup champion Zinedine Zidane came to India to see the Taj Mahal

World Cup-winning French footballer Zinedine Zidane made a clandestine tour of the Golden Triangle of tourism in India six years ago. (Photo courtesy: Anil Sharma)

Anil Sharma was not a football fan. Until Zinedine Zidane came along and changed the Indian tour guide's life forever. Today Sharma, who was born in Jaipur, watches World Cup matches while remembering an awe-inspiring visit to India six years ago by a football legend.

Zidane, one of the most recognisable faces on the planet, did a clandestine tour of the golden triangle of tourism — Jaipur, Agra and Delhi — in 2016 in the middle of the UEFA Euro championship. Sharma, a French-speaking young man from Jaipur was his tour guide.

Zidane, who led France to world cup victory in 1998, came to India at the invitation of a real estate company called Kanakia Spaces Realty Pvt. Ltd to promote a French-styled residential project in Mumbai. Paris-based architect Olivier Vecchierini, who knew Zidane well, was the project's landscape designer.

After his promotional schedule in Mumbai, Zidane wanted to do a private tour to "discover a bit of India", according to Marie-Chanel Gillier, who runs a travel company specialising in curated tours in India. "Olivier Vecchierini put me in touch with Zidane's assistant to help organise the private tour," says Gillier, who also organised a private trip to Kerala for the iconic French actor Catherine Deneuve a decade ago.

It was sweltering hot at that time in June and Gillier decided to warn Zidane about the punishing Indian summer. "I sent a huge warning asking him to be careful," she says. The week before Zidane arrived, Delhi had recorded 47 degrees Celsius. Zidane was arriving with his wife, Véronique, and a friend, who was also his manager. It was his first trip to India.

It was the Delhi-based Gillier, who arranged a tour guide for Zidane. "Anil Sharma, the tour guide, was with him everyday in the car and at the monuments. He was professional and friendly and I could trust him with the trip," she says. It helped that Sharma was fluent in French. The Golden Triangle of Jaipur-Agra-Delhi was a classic itinerary that required a tremendous amount of knowledge and Sharma was up to it.

Zidane flew from Mumbai to Jaipur at the end of his promotional trip. Sharma was at the airport to receive him. "Zidane came out with his wife and friend and we drove straight to the Rambagh Palace hotel. It was already evening, but he didn't want to rest," says Sharma. Soon, the Zidane family was out in Jaipur city visiting the famous Galtaji temple complex.

Zinedine Zidane with wife Véronique (right) and Marie-Chanel Gillier (left) who curated his trip to Jaipur, Agra and Delhi (Photo courtesy: Marie-Chanel Gillier)

Before they started on the tour, Zidane had a quick word for his guide. "Zidane told me that he had come to see India and didn't know if he would come back. He said just treat me as your friend and take me to places of my choice," recalls Sharma about the humble nature of the famous former footballer, who retired from international football after the 2006 World Cup, and managed Real Madrid in two stints, helping them win three Champions League and two La Liga titles.

Sharma, who was not a football fan, soon realised that Zidane was staying awake at night to watch his national team playing in the 2016 Euro championship hosted by France. "The time difference between France and India was three-and-half hours. Zidane was watching the matches at night," says Sharma. Zidane, a Ballon d'Or winner, had helped France emerge Euro champions in 2000. In 2016, France would lose to Portugal in the finals.

Zidane's inspiring words to Sharma on the first day had given the young Indian a lot of confidence. He didn't look back from there. In the next five days, he took the Zidane team to the golden triangle, filling them with plenty of history and interesting anecdotes. "He asked me on the first day if I knew who he was. I told him that the world knows you."

In Jaipur, Sharma took his guests to the Amer Fort, where Zidane enjoyed an elephant ride, City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar. On their way to Agra the next day, they ate lunch in Bharatpur. It was the month of Ramadan and a fasting Zidane didn't eat during the day. Others did. They visited Fatehpur Sikri before checking in to The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra. The Zidanes were eager to see the Taj Mahal the next morning.

"The Taj is just like what people who have seen it say," Sharma remembers Zidane telling him after their visit to the monument. There were two private security guards accompanying Zidane from the moment he arrived at the Jaipur airport and they would remain with him until he left India.

Zidane sat on the bench in front of the monument for a photo of the Taj, but was soon approached by local journalists who had come to know about his visit to the city. "Zidane didn't want to talk to reporters. He said it was his private tour and didn't want to make it public. We decided to skip the Red Fort," says Sharma. Zidane had been able to largely remain anonymous during the entire trip though he was spotted by some tourists at the Amer Fort in Jaipur.

In Delhi, Zidane, his wife and manager took two cycle rickshaws to see the Old City.  "I proposed to him that we visit the Gandhi memorial at the Raj Ghat the next morning to pay respects to the Father of the Nation and Zidane immediately agreed," recalls the guide. After Raj Ghat, they went to see the Qutub Minar, getting a glimpse of India Gate, Vijay Chowk and the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the way.

Even at the end of the trip, Sharma was floored by Zidane's simplicity. "The Emirates airlines on which he was flying said they would send a car to the hotel for the journey to the airport, but Zidane politely declined," says Sharma. "Zidane said, 'Anil has a car and I will go with him to the airport'."

Zinedine Zidane arrived in India in the summer of 2016 to promote a French-styled residential project in Mumbai (Photo courtesy: Anil Sharma)'

"From the first day, Zidane treated me as a friend, though I was stressed and scared how the trip would go," says Sharma. "He is a very simple person. He sat and ate with me during the whole trip. He supported me to gain confidence. When he thought I was getting tired, Zidane would stop me. I didn't have any interest in football. Since Zidane's visit, I have become a football fan. I'm watching football now."

After he returned to France, Zidane and his wife wrote a letter to Sharma, who now lives in Delhi. He thanked his guide for his sincere work, courteous behaviour and the numerous stories to understand India's rich history. The letter in French signed by both Zidane and Véronique, ended with the words, 'All the Best for You!!' in English.