The purpose of Zidane's visit to this unusual destination was to buy tea from a niche shop and to seek advice about the art of tea making from specialist Chan Kwok-yee.

Chan told the media he showed Zidane a variety of "raw" tea leaves, and gave him some tips about tea brewing.

After sampling, Zidane chose two kinds of Yunnan Pu'er tea leaf - You Jing Zhi Lan and Wu Gu Feng Shou - literally meaning "exquisite orchid from a secluded paradise" and "good harvest." Zidane spent about HK$10,000 at the shop.

Chan said he discovered You Jing Zhi Lan by chance early this year and imported it to Hong Kong. Now this kind of tea has "sailed across the oceans" to France with the 37-year-old Zidane.

Apart from his distinguished football career, fans will definitely remember Zidane's famous headbutting of Italian player Marco Materazzi after verbal taunting in the final of the last World Cup in 2006, an incident widely reported in the media at the time.

Chan isn't a football fan, so he didn't recognize Zidane when he visited. He didn't ask to take a picture with Zidane, and had to use one of the football star's old pictures to compose a "group photo" as a memento of the occasion.

But Chan is held in high esteem as a tea specialist. About 20 years ago, he fell in love with the art of tea and made a bold decision to give up his petroleum business for a business in tea.

He is a pioneer in introducing the art culture and brewing utensils from Taiwan to Hong Kong and runs classes teaching the art of tea making.

He ventured into the study of tea drinking and health, inventing the "Chenpi Tea," which is good for health.

Chan revolutionized the tea-drinking culture in Hong Kong, teaching locals the proper ways of appreciating tea, while changing their old "bull drinking" habit of gulping down tea like a bull drinking water. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily