Damian Lewis may be an award-winning actor – but Zinedine Zidane showed him levels when it came to a performing masterclass.
The Real Madrid legend encountered the Band of Brothers and Homeland star at Soccer Aid in 2010, where the Frenchman quickly found it wasn’t your usual charity match.
Early on in the clash at Old Trafford, Lewis – representing England against the Rest of the World – delivered a crunching tackle on the 1998 World Cup winner.
It turned out to be the worst thing that Lewis, who has scooped Emmy and Golden Globe gongs, could have done as Zidane proceeded to embarrass him and his fellow teammates.
Shortly after the brutal tackle by Lewis, Zidane got his sweet revenge after he nutmegged the Liverpool fan who came charging in to close him down – earning huge applause from the fans.
Pop star and Soccer Aid legend Olly Murs was making his first appearance in the annual event, and got a first-hand look at just how good Zidane was.
Murs, who is the celebrity with the most Soccer Aid outings with seven, appeared on talkSPORT’s Inside Devils show where he reflected on the match in question.
Commenting on the best footballer he’s played with, he said: “Zidane, he was a joke.
“I always tell this story it’s really funny, so Zidane didn’t train all week, he flew in on the day of the game.
“He’s very French, he doesn’t speak any English, he comes on the pitch, and we’re like, ‘F***, it’s Zidane.’
“Anyway, Damian Lewis within ten minutes, cracks him, smashes him, 50/50, bosh.
“And Zidane I think thought this was just the typical, casual charity match.
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“Well I don’t know what happened, but Zidane just switched from first gear to seven, and that was it, we didn’t see him for the whole game.
“And I’ve got this picture at home and it’s literally Zidane on the ball and there’s literally ten England players [chasing him].
“Not one person got close to him after that, I just remember thinking, ‘Wow,’ him and Ronaldinho were the two players where I was like, ‘They’re special.'”
What Murs didn’t comment on was Zidane’s X-rated reaction to getting fouled by Lewis in front of a packed out Theatre of Dreams crowd.
Speaking to talkSPORT last year, Lewis recalled: “Zinedine Zidane, Zizou, I played against him in the middle of the park.
“Going out at Old Trafford in front of 72,000 people, Bryan Robson taps me on the a*** as I’m going out and says, ‘Right Damo, you’re on Zidane, keep your legs closed.’
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“After about 15 minutes I clatter into him, and it’s late, he goes down and says, ‘Expletive, expletive, expletive, it’s a charity game man, why are you so stupid?’
“Then Jamie Redknapp chases me around the pitch and I said, ‘Yeah fair enough.’
“But 15 minutes after that Zizou is rolling his foot over the ball and I go chasing him down to the touchline trying to stay close.
“He looks up and gives me a look in the eye and he sticks it straight between my legs in front of that whole stand who all spontaneously burst out laughing at my expense.
“The best thing was Andy Townsend on the commentary just said, ‘Bye bye.'”
It wasn’t just Zidane that was on the wrong end of a strong tackle, with Murs going on to state how Ryan Giggs left him in a heap on the floor.
Murs remarked: “So I’m playing at Soccer Aid, I’m looking around and I remember in the game there was this little moment where I get the ball.
“I think I went to flick it over someone’s head because I thought I was a bit of a baller back then.
“And someone just come through the back of me, ‘Bang,’ it felt like I hit a brick wall, I turned and, ‘Bang,’ I fell to the floor.
“I looked up at Giggsy had the ball, I was just like, ‘Wow,’ it was so surreal.”