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On the occasion of his 50th birthday, Zinedine Zidane has looked back on his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final. The Frenchman revealed that the shocking response came in the aftermath of Materazzi insulting his sister.
France and Italy locked horns in the final of the 2006 World Cup at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. Zidane, who was in impeccable form in the tournament, opened the scoring after just seven minutes of play, dispatching an audacious Panenka penalty to beat Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Twelve minutes later, Materazzi equalized for Italy through a thumping header following a well-taken corner kick.
With nothing separating the two teams at the end of regulation time, the match went into extra time. In the second half of extra time, Zidane and Materazzi were involved in a confrontation, with the former sending the Italian defender to the ground with a headbutt. The Frenchman was sent off in what would be his final professional appearance.
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With the game tied at 1-1 at the end of extra time, the match went into penalties, with Italy ultimately emerging victorious.
On his 50th birthday, L’Equipe asked the 1998 World Cup winner to reflect on his headbutt. Here’s what the former Real Madrid manager had to say (via Madrid Zone):
“The headbutt? Materazzi insulted my sister, who was with my tired Mom at the time. He triggered something in me by talking about my sister.”
The former attacking midfielder featured in 108 games for France across competitions, recording 31 goals and 30 assists. He played 12 World Cup games in his career, scoring five times and providing three assists.
Zinedine Zidane is one of football’s greatest icons
Zidane was simply unplayable on his day. He penetrated defenses like a hot knife through butter, popped up with important contributions in the biggest matches, and was an absolute leader on the pitch.
The Frenchman helped Juventus to two Serie A titles before winning one La Liga title and one Champions League trophy in Real Madrid colors. On the international front, he won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 Euros with France.
His exploits saw him win the Ballon d’Or once (1998) and the 'FIFA Best Men’s Player' award thrice (1998, 2000, 2003).
The former Real Madrid man has enjoyed unmatched success as a manager as well. He took charge of Los Blancos in 2016 and led them to Champions League glory in his debut season.
The following season, he not only defended the European crown but also won the La Liga title. Zidane capped off the final season of his first spell with another Champions League title, becoming the first-ever manager to win the three-peat in the tournament’s current format.
