Zidane, fondly known as Zizou, is considered to be one of the greatest footballers ever in the modern era as well as of all-time. A World Cup winner with France in 1998, he was leading the Les Bleus at the 2006 World Cup and with some incredible displays on the pitch, he took them to the final against Italy.
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A World Cup to end a glittering and trophy-laden career would have been the perfect story but what transpired in the final was poles apart. Zizou gave the French side the lead from the spot, but Italy equalized later and the game headed on to extra time.
With 10 minutes to go to penalties, Zidane, out of the blue, headbutted Italy's Marco Materazzi, for which he was duly sent off. France would go on to lose the final in penalties and who knows what could have happened if not for Zidane's heated moment.
It was a sad end to the career of one of the greatest players ever and goes down as one of the most iconic moments in the history of football.
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About the author
Shraishth Jain
Shraishth Jain is a former sports journalist & content specialist, with over eight years of experience of working in the industry. A graduate of commerce, he earned his post-graduate diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in Delhi.
His journey in the field of sports journalism began as a freelancer with Sportskeeda in 2015, covering events from a wide range of sports across north India. He joined the organization full-time two years later and then worked at Times Now. Subsequently, he worked as a Media Officer at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) from 2019-2022, working in media operations, handling social media & PR for the federation and its various verticals, along with travelling with various national teams. He moved to RoundGlass Punjab FC for a season, before making the switch to working on his retail business.
He has been watching sports religiously for as long as he can remember. He is a die-hard Manchester United fan and spends almost all of his free time watching one sport or the other, and keeping tabs on the happenings in the world of sport around the globe.
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