Karembeu, who was speaking to 'Sportsmail' ahead of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, revealed what it was like to play with Zidane when they shared a dressing room with the French national side.
"When we were playing he wanted things to be perfect on the pitch," Karembeu said. "To deliver good passes, good actions and to work hard. When he became a manager you could still see that inside of him - what he delivers to his players and how he inspires them."
"Not just because of his aura, it's what he implements every day. Exercises, theories and what he thinks about the game. He's a winner, a perfectionist."
Zidane would be the first ever manager in the Champions League era to win the trophy three years in a row if Real beat Liverpool, and Karembeu believes a win in Kiev would make him the best Real Madrid manager of all time.
"Nobody has done that before (won three Champions League titles in succession)," he said. "He would be the number one manager in Madrid's history. The club have always broken records and maybe Zizou will do it."
Giving his opinion on how the game will play out, the Frenchman said that Liverpool will not be easy to beat. "I am a Real Madrid fan and a former player so I would like Zidane to make the record by winning three times in a row," he said.
"It would give them the dimension of the biggest club in the world, but they have a real adversary in front of them with Liverpool. They are very dangerous with Salah, (Sadio) Mane and (Roberto) Firmino."
"Nobody was expecting them (to make the final), but the way they play is fantastic. Through the qualifiers they won with their own way of playing, with speed and efficiency in front of the goal."
"By winning many games the trust and confidence comes through the team and that's why they have delivered great performances."