Zidane Roulette: How to Do Zidane’s Spin Move

The Zidane roulette is one of the most famous moves in soccer history. It’s a 360-degree spin over the ball, using a double drag-back, that lets a player escape pressure and come out facing a new direction. You’ll also hear it called the Zidane spin move, the Marseille turn (after Zidane’s hometown) or the Maradona turn, because Diego Maradona used it too.

This guide breaks the roulette down step by step, explains when to use it in a game, and gives you a drill to make it automatic.

What Is the Zidane Roulette?

The roulette is a turn performed while dribbling. The player drags the ball back with the sole of one foot while spinning, then drags it again with the sole of the other foot to complete the turn. The body stays between the defender and the ball throughout, so the defender can’t get a touch.

Zinedine Zidane made it his signature in the 1990s and 2000s at Juventus, Real Madrid and with France. What made his roulette special wasn’t speed. It was timing. He waited for the defender to commit, then spun away calmly, as if he had all the time in the world.

How to Do the Zidane Roulette: Step by Step

These steps assume you start with your right foot. Reverse them for the left.

1. Dribble toward the defender with the ball close to your feet.
2. Step on the ball with the sole of your right foot, placing your foot on top of it.
3. Drag the ball back toward you as you start turning your body to the left, plant your right foot and keep spinning.
4. Bring your left foot onto the ball with the sole as your back faces the defender.
5. Drag the ball again with your left foot, continuing the spin until you face forward again.
6. Accelerate away into the space you have created.

The whole move should feel like one smooth circle. Keep your knees bent and your arms out for balance.

Common Roulette Mistakes

• Spinning too early. If the defender isn’t close, the roulette achieves nothing. Use it when they’re committed and tight to you.
• Losing contact with the ball. Both drags use the sole of the foot. Kicking or flicking the ball breaks the move.
• Standing up straight. A low centre of gravity keeps you balanced through the turn.
• No exit. Know where you’re going before you spin, and burst away afterwards.

When to Use the Zidane Spin Move in a Game

• A defender is closing you down from the side and you need to protect the ball while changing direction.
• In midfield traffic, when you need to escape pressure and face forward to pass.
• Along the touchline, to spin away from a defender pushing you toward the line.

Zidane rarely used the roulette for show. He used it to buy time and space to make the next pass. That’s the mindset to copy.

Roulette Practice Drill

1. Stationary spins (3 minutes): Perform the roulette in place, slowly, focusing on two clean sole drags. Alternate starting feet.
2. Cone approach (4 minutes): Dribble at a cone, perform the roulette one step before it, and exit at a 90-degree angle.
3. Passive defender (4 minutes): A partner closes you down at walking pace. Spin away and pass to a target.
4. Live 1v1 (4 minutes): Play to small goals. Award a bonus point for a successful roulette.

The Roulette and the Coerver Method

At Coerver Coaching, we teach moves like the roulette as part of our Pyramid of Player Development, starting with Ball Mastery and building to 1v1 moves under pressure. Sole-of-the-foot control is a key ball mastery skill, so players who practise sole rolls and drags daily find the roulette much easier to learn.

Love Zidane’s game? Read how to play like Zidane and how Maradona used the same spin move.

Roulette Variations

• The half roulette: a single drag-back and half spin to change direction 180 degrees, useful when you don’t need to keep going forward.
• The roulette with a pass: spin away from pressure and play a pass immediately on the exit, the way Zidane often did.
• The reverse roulette: start with the left foot and spin to the right. Learning both directions makes you much harder to defend.

Teaching the Roulette to Young Players

Young players love the roulette because it feels like a “pro” move. Start it during ball mastery with slow, stationary spins, using sole rolls and drag-backs as the building blocks. Once players can complete both drags smoothly, add a cone to spin around, then a passive defender. Remind them that the move is about protecting the ball and finding space, not just spinning. Praise players who spin and then play forward quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zidane’s signature move?
The roulette, also called the Marseille turn or Zidane spin move.

Is the Zidane roulette the same as the Maradona turn?
Yes. It’s the same 360-degree double drag-back. Maradona used it before Zidane made it his trademark.

Is the roulette hard to learn?
The technique is simple, but the timing takes practice. Start slowly and add speed once both drags feel smooth.