Soccer royalty Zinedine Zidane has decided to sell his first watch, the Cartier Pasha, at Christie’s in Geneva on November 9, 2026, approximately 35 years after he originally purchased it with his first pro salary while playing for FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
ELA International, the European Leukodystrophies Association, has announced that the watch will be part of the Rare Watches auction, which will also host the second edition of Watches for ELA, a charitable sale featuring around twenty timepieces donated by watch brands and independent makers. All proceeds will go directly to ELA International.
The French soccer legend bought this Cartier Pasha with his first professional salary at FC Girondins de Bordeaux, close to 35 years ago. He wore it for years and kept it through a career that took him to World Cup glory in 1998, a Ballon d’Or, and three Champions League titles as a manager at Real Madrid. A man who has had access to virtually every luxury imaginable chose to hold onto this one watch for three and a half decades.
“This Cartier Pasha was the first watch I bought for myself with my first salary when I was playing in Bordeaux. I purchased it nearly thirty-five years ago, and it has remained with me ever since. When Guy told me about the 2026 auction, I felt that this watch, which is part of my personal story, could now help write a new chapter in support of ELA families. That is what truly matters, and I hope it will also hold special meaning for the person who acquires it,” Zidane said.
First introduced in 1985 and named after the Pasha of Marrakech, El Glaoui, who had commissioned Cartier to design a waterproof watch in the 1930s, the Cartier Pasha became one of the maison’s most recognised references through the late 1980s and 1990s. Cartier brought the collection back in 2020 after a period of discontinuation, which has renewed collector interest in earlier steel models from the exact era the Ballon d’Or recipient would have purchased his.
The Cartier Pasha is identifiable by its bold round case, stainless-steel bracelet, and sapphire cabochon-set pushers, all signature details of the collection.
Guy Alba, President of ELA International, said, “Watches for ELA is, above all, a collective endeavor, made possible through the commitment of the leading watchmaking houses, the support of Christie’s teams, and the steadfast loyalty and generosity of Zinedine Zidane and François-Henri Pinault toward ELA. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the collectors and prospective buyers whose support brings tremendous hope to families affected by leukodystrophies.”
Watches for ELA will feature pieces from Alpina, Artya, Atælier Haute Complication, Boucheron, Bovet, Cédric Johner, Dennison, Felipe Pikullik, Frédérique Constant, Gerald Charles, Kerbedanz, Kollokium, Konstantin Chaykin, Louis Erard, Louis Moinet, Maurice Lacroix, Mauron Musy, Montblanc, Pequignet, and Tissot.
Rémi Guillemin, Head of Watches at Christie’s Europe and Americas, said, “We are delighted to host the second edition of Watches for ELA as part of our Rare Watches auction this coming November. And, quite honestly, who wouldn’t dream of becoming the next proud owner of a watch with such an extraordinary sporting provenance?”
Before the November sale, the collection will be exhibited at Christie’s Geneva from September 2 to 4, alongside Geneva Watch Days. It will then travel through Asia, the United States, and Europe, before returning to Geneva for a final showing at the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues in the days leading up to the auction.
Leukodystrophies are rare, progressive neurological disorders that affect the brain and spinal cord, with many cases diagnosed in children. ELA International funds research and supports affected families across Europe. Zinedine Zidane’s Cartier Pasha is the headline lot of the sale, the first watch he purchased at the beginning of his professional career with FC Girondins de Bordeaux, now offered in support of families living with leukodystrophies, a cause he has supported as a patron of ELA International for more than 25 years.
