His real name was Jacques Atre but we may never know why, everyone knew him as Jacques Zimako.
The former left winger of Bastia, Saint-Etienne and Sochaux, who has worn the France team jersey 13 times (for 2 goals), died on Wednesday at the age of 69.
Jacques Zimako was originally from New Caledonia where he was born on December 28, 1951. It was on another island, Corsica, that he began his career.
Bastia welcomed him in the mid-1970s. He played from 1972 to 1977 for the club headed by Moor.
But he leaves when he shouldn't.
He left Bastia in the summer of 1977 when the Corsicans began their formidable epic which would lead them to the final of the UEFA Cup - the ancestor of the Europa League - against PSV Eindhoven.
🖤 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐙𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐨 has passed away.
By shaking the nets 38 times in the Green jersey, "Zig-Zag" ⚡️ contributed to the Saint-Etienne legend.
Mourning, # ASSE joins the pain of those close to them and that of @SCBastia.
pic.twitter.com/weMkuqf0zK
- AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) December 8, 2021
Jacques Zimako is not there.
He played at that time in Saint-Etienne in a green club which digested his adventure of 1976. It was however in the Forez that he knew the consecration by winning the title of champion of France in 1981 with Michel Platini, Johnny Rep or Gérard Janvion.
The same year, he was a finalist in the Coupe de France but did not win the trophy.
He was even nicknamed "Zig-Zag" among the Greens where his art of dribbling excelled.
He left Saint-Etienne immediately to play for two years at Sochaux before returning to finish his career at Bastia in 1985.
388 matches in the top flight
During the 1970s and 1980s, Jacques Zimako was also regularly selected for the French team.
Michel Hidalgo, between 1977 and 1981, called him 13 times.
He is for the record, the first Kanak player to wear the blue jersey.
The left winger who stood out by often scoring direct corners scored two goals with the France team.
⚫️ It is with immense sadness that @SCBastia learned of the death of its former player Jacques Zimako, a true legend of the club in the 70s ...
To his family, friends and relatives, the club offers its condolences .
Ch'ellu ripos'in pace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GlV8mOJpfE
- SC Bastia (@SCBastia) December 8, 2021
His distant successor Christian Karembeu, world champion in 1998 and Kanak too, will often refer to Zimako. He was one of her models. But again for lack of luck, the ex-Bastiais misses the good train that of a World Cup. He took part in the qualifiers which sent the Blues to Spain in 1982 but he did not make the trip in the end.
After his career, Jacques Zimako returned to his native New Caledonia to try to develop football there.
During his career, Kanak played 388 games in what was still called Division 1 and scored 92 goals.
He also wore the jersey of SC Bastia 250 times, which this Wednesday deplores the loss of one of its legends.
He returned on September 25 on the lawn of the Armand-Cesari stadium to kick off the fictitious derby between SC Bastia and AC Ajaccio.
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