CNN.com - Materazzi reveals�insult to Zidane - Sep 5, 2006 Materazzi reveals insult to Zidane Adjust font size: ROME, Italy -- Italy defender Marco Materazzi has broken his silence over the verbal exchange that led to his violent World Cup final clash with French star Zinedine Zidane. Materazzi was sent crashing to the turf by a Zidane head-butt near the end of extra time of the July 9 final in Berlin following a verbal altercation. Materazzi told Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday that it was a remark he made about Zidane's sister that provoked the French captain's moment of madness. Zidane was sent off and Italy went on to beat France in a penalty shootout to lift the trophy. Inter Milan center-half Materazzi was given a two-match ban by world governing body FIFA. Materazzi said that when Zidane offered to give him his France jersey after the final whistle, in response persistent shirt-tugging by the Italian, he had replied: "I would prefer your sister." Materazzi insisted however that he should not blamed for sparking the incident. "I did not cause it," he told Gazzetta.

"I answered verbally with a provocation to defend myself. "Yes, I was tugging his shirt, but when he said to me scornfully 'If you want my shirt so much I'll give it to you afterwards' is that not a provocation? I answered that I'd prefer his sister, it's true. "It's not a particularly nice thing to say, I recognize that. But loads of players say worse things ... I didn't even know he had a sister before all this happened," added Materazzi, who is suspended for Italy's Euro 2008 qualifying rematch with France in Paris on Wednesday. Zidane was given a three-match ban for his part in the spat, but as he had retired from football he was made to do three days of community service instead. Materazzi criticized FIFA for what he felt was favoritism shown towards the Frenchman. Head-butted "I only know that I was the one head-butted and I got a two-match ban," said the Inter Milan defender.

"I would have done three months or even three years of community service to be on the pitch at Saint Denis on Wednesday, but I definitely count less than Zidane." The Italy defender said that while he had told FIFA he was willing to make a gesture of reconciliation with Zidane, he was not going to apologize. "He has not apologized to me and I certainly don't have to apologize to him. "If anything, I owe apologies to his sister, although I swear, before all this mess I didn't even know Zidane had a sister," he said. Materazzi said that he thought the two could put the incident behind them. "If peace can be made after terrible wars can Zidane and I not make peace? A peace between men, without much publicity, certainly yes. "The door of my house will always be open to him and if he wants, Zidane knows how to find out my address," said Materazzi.

Tools: Zinedine Zidane's World Cup final headbutt on Marco Materazzi immortalised in France with 5-metre statue - Telegraph Football Zinedine Zidane's World Cup final headbutt on Marco Materazzi immortalised in France with 5-metre statue The infamous headbutt that French football legend Zinedine Zidane landed on an Italian during a World Cup final has been transformed into a giant statue and displayed in front of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Performance art: Zinedine Zidane's headbut, or chestbut, on Marco Materazzi is on display in larger than life style in Paris Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Telegraph Sport Remembering Zinedine Zidane's Headbutt and the 2006 World Cup Final | Bleacher Report Remembering Zinedine Zidane's Headbutt and the 2006 World Cup Final By Daniel Tiluk , Featured Columnist Jul 9, 2015 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories THOMAS KIENZLE/Associated Press Comments Perhaps the contradiction is what confounds most.

How could a player known for exceptional class, elegance and an almost regal nature in possession, end his career in such an embarrassing, hot-tempered fashion? Include the context, and Zinedine Zidane 's shocking exit from world football is no less befuddling exactly nine years later. Mike Hewitt/Getty Images The Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, hosted the 2006 World Cup final. July 9, 2006: The globe shut down in anticipation of the biggest sporting event offered every four years. After one month, from June 9 to July 9, the FIFA World Cup was ready for its final act. Set at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, finalists France and Italy had two hours and/or penalties to decide which nation was football's best. The French and Italians arrived to the German capital as worthy contenders. Italy overcame Australia, Ukraine and ousted host nation Germany in extra time to earn their spot, while France ran a venerable gauntlet of international superpowers in Spain, Brazil and Portugal to reach the final. Both teamsheets were star-studded.

Marcello Lippi's Italy boasted Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo and others; while Raymond Domenech's France held the likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry , Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram. Ben Radford/Getty Images In a game of legends, Zinedine Zidane was the "creme de la creme." No star, though, shone brighter than Zidane's. The 2006 World Cup (for which he came out of retirement ) was announced to be his final professional competition—with the final his last professional match. In a career that spanned 18 years, three countries and included 15 trophies (both international and domestic), the then-34-year-old midfielder had garnered the reputation as football's best technician. Playing as if the ball were glued to his boots, Zizou was the ultimate attacking midfielder. Intelligence, vision and the serenity to find options were hallmarks of the Frenchman's game—making him the world's foremost attacking operator.

July 9, 2001: Zidane signed a four-year contract (including an optional fifth season) with Real Madrid , after leaving Italian giants Juventus for £45.6 million. A fee made that him the most expensive footballer for eight years; until Cristiano Ronaldo (£80 million to Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£56.5 million to Barcelona), Kaka (£56 million to Real Madrid) and Carlos Tevez (£47 million to Manchester City ) were all sold in the 2009 summer transfer window. Getty Images/Getty Images Five years after becoming the world's most expensive footballer, Zinedine Zidane played in his last match. Five years after joining Madrid, having ended his club career, Zidane had history in his hands once again—playing in his second World Cup final. The match started wonderfully for the French and their veteran talisman. In the sixth minute, Florent Malouda latched onto an Henry headed pass, made the most of minimal contact from Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the penalty box and referee Horacio Elizondo awarded a spot-kick.

One minute later, Zidane (squared against Italy's world-class Buffon) attempted and converted an audacious Panenka penalty—which hit the crossbar before crossing the goal line. Zizou's penalty was the fifth-fastest goal scored in a World Cup final. Ironically—possibly foreshadowing the 2006 final's conclusion—in 1974, the Netherlands converted a second-minute spot kick vs. West Germany and lost the match 2-1. Clive Mason/Getty Images After a calm, cool and collected penalty, Zizou was en route to another classic performance. Twelve minutes later, following an exquisite Pirlo corner, Materazzi towered over Vieira in the French penalty area and, making up for his earlier transgression on Malouda, beat goalkeeper Fabian Barthez—equalising the score. A 35th-minute corner from Pirlo resulted in Luca Toni striking the crossbar—France were lucky to enter half-time at a stalemate. The second half opened with France as the aggressors. Franck Ribery, Malouda and Henry were interchanging in Domenech's front three, with the French midfield clogging Italy's forward momentum.

Former Arsenal enforcer Vieira, however, was substituted with an apparent hamstring injury in the 57th minute, and five minutes later Toni momentarily put the Italians up 2-1—from a set piece—only to have the goal disallowed for offside. Approaching the final's last 10 minutes of regulation, Zidane required medical attention—as he and Cannavaro collided when contesting for a ball. The French legend seemingly made the universal gesture for a substitution but, after quick treatment on his shoulder, was back on the pitch to earn his nation 30 extra minutes of football. Stu Forster/Getty Images Only four men have scored in two World Cup finals—Zinedine Zidane is one. July 12, 1998: Almost eight years before the 2006 match, France played in their first World Cup final (hosted at the Stade de France in northern Paris). The man of that match was Zidane. Scoring two first-half headers from corners, the "No. 10" was an integral component in France's 3-0 demolition of Brazil.

Known more for his brilliant technical ability on the floor, the 1998 final showed the world Zizou was just as accomplished using his head. Entering the first instalment of extra time in the 2006 final, right-back Willie Sagnol—in an attacking movement started by Zidane—delivered an exemplary ball into the box, which met the 34-year-old's head. Any other direction and the pace/power of Zidane's bullet header would have seen Les Bleus take a one-goal lead after 104 minutes, but the ball was placed centrally, and Buffon saved in spectacular fashion. Zidane's head, unfortunately, will not be remembered for his 1998 World Cup heroics, nor his near winner in Berlin, but his 108th-minute moment of madness in the 2006 World Cup final. Alex Livesey/Getty Images Zinedine Zidane was largely calm throughout the match, but one moment was all that was required. Materazzi had been an irritant the entire match. Italy were the more rugged of the two sides, and the former Inter centre-back epitomised the Italians' determination and fighting spirit.

This led Materazzi, though, to cross a line with Zidane—which eventually saw him sprawling on the Olympiastadion's pitch. Following an entanglement at the top of France's 18-yard-box, the two players engaged in a verbal sparring match. Materazzi alleges Zidane told him, in response to having his shirt pulled—according to Reuters (via ESPN FC ): "If you want my shirt I will give it you afterwards." The Italian, as documented by TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (taken from the Guardian ), responded with: "I prefer the whore that is your sister." Understandably making the French captain upset, Zidane elected to display his anger by trotting a few yards ahead of Materazzi and levelled the 6'4" centre-back with a substantial headbutt. Subsequently undone by a combination of his opponent, his temper, the fourth official and instant replay, Zizou was sent off after Elizondo's impromptu investigation in the 110th minute—10 minutes before the looming penalty shootout.

Michael Steele/Getty Images Seeing Marco Materazzi writhing on the pitch, Horacio Elizondo conferred with the fourth official and sent off Zizou. France lost the 2006 World Cup to Italy on penalties 5-3, but the most intriguing story from the final was not necessarily the winners, but the singular, iconic loser—who lost both his head and the trophy. Speaking with Esquire magazine , Zizou said: "If you look at the 14 red cards I had, 12 of them were a result of provocation. This isn’t justification, this isn’t an excuse, but my passion, temper and blood made me react." Zidane—specifically concerning Materazzi—told Spanish publication El Pais (via the Guardian ): If I ask [Materazzi for] forgiveness, I lack respect for myself and for all those I hold dear with all my heart. I apologise to football, to the fans, to the team. After the game, I went into the [French] dressing room and told them: 'Forgive me. This doesn't change anything, but sorry everyone.' But to him I cannot. Never, never. It would be to dishonour me.

I'd rather die. The disparity between being the coolest customer on the pitch, yet also having a red-hot temper, is difficult to grasp. When footballers like Luis Suarez , whose games are based largely on high-octane aggression, are undone by their inner-demons (for example biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup), it somehow makes more sense than seeing a player known for his classy persona and footballing genius headbutt an opponent. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images In possibly the worst ending to a preeminent career, Zinedine Zidane's "walk of shame" will be long remembered. Zidane's legacy is unquestionably marred by its final chapter. His career, which could have ended lifting a second World Cup—with celebrations in the streets of Paris and his hometown of Marseille—was undone in a fleeting moment of rage, caused by an odious exchange with a distasteful Italian centre-back. An eternal icon and still beloved in France, the French people have forgiven Zizou his transgression and instead choose to remember the best of times.

Nine years after his last professional match ended in disgrace, one can only hope Zidane—behind his defiant exterior—has been able to forgive himself. BBC SPORT | Football | World Cup 2006 | Sent-off Zidane named best player Sent-off Zidane named best player Zidane's final match in professional football was the World Cup final Zinedine Zidane won the Golden Ball award for the World Cup's best player, despite being dismissed for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the final. France captain Zidane polled 2,012 points in the vote by journalists mostly carried out at half-time. The midfielder, 34, beat Italians Fabio Cannavaro (1,977 points) and Andrea Pirlo (715 points) in the ballot. He scored a penalty early on in the final but was sent off in extra time as France went on to lose on penalties. Report: Zidane welcomed home The former international player of the year and 1998 World Cup winner announced last month that he was retiring from football after the tournament.

The vast majority of those votes were cast by journalists before the final was over and that I'm sure is why Zidane has come out top BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar On Sunday, he put France ahead from the spot in the opening minutes but was sent off after slamming his head into Materazzi's chest during the tense second period of extra time, which ended 1-1. It was to be his last act as a professional player and, with the French missing his prowess in the ensuing penalty shootout, Italy went on to claim the World Cup title. BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar was in Berlin to see the game and the vote. "The vast majority of those votes were cast by journalists before the final was over and that I'm sure is why Zidane has come out top," Farquhar told BBC Radio Five Live. WORLD CUP BLOG More on our World Cup blog "But it's going to be a bit embarrassing for Fifa - the man who got sent off in the final for a completely unacceptable foul against another player is the guy who's been chosen by journalists as the man of the tournament.

"The reason the journalists voted for Zidane was this great emotional thing - everybody knew it was his last tournament and the final was his last game of football ever - but most people were dumbfounded to see what he did on Sunday. "If you'd asked the 2,012 journalists - who voted for him - after the game whether they wanted to change their vote, they probably would have." Other players on the Golden Ball shortlist included Maniche (Portugal), Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy), Thierry Henry (France), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Patrick Vieira (France) and Miroslav Klose (Germany). 606 VIEW CNN.com - Chirac: France still loves Zidane - Jul 10, 2006 Chirac: France still loves Zidane President Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette welcome Zinedine Zidane at the Elysee palace. RELATED  TIME.com: Memorable images of World Cup 2006 QUICKVOTE How will retiring French football captain Zinedine Zidane be remembered? Hero Manage Alerts | What Is This?

PARIS, France -- French President Jacques Chirac has hailed Zinedine Zidane as a "virtuoso, a genius of world football" despite his sending off in the World Cup final for head-butting an Italian player. Zidane, who was named on Monday by football's governing body as the outstanding player of the tournament, shocked France with his attack on Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the last minutes of Sunday's game. He was sent off with a red card from the match that marked his retirement. France lost to Italy by 5-3 in a penalty shootout. "You are a virtuoso, a genius of world football," Chirac said, according to The Associated Press. "You are also a man of heart, commitment, conviction. That's why France admires and loves you." The president also thanked and consoled the French national team. "France loves and admires you," he told players in a speech before receiving them and their wives for lunch. The team later paraded on the balcony of the palace, where they were cheered by fans. Earlier Monday Zidane won FIFA's Golden Ball prize, which is decided by journalists at the tournament.

Zidane received 2,012 votes, Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro finished second with 1,977 and his team mate Andrea Pirlo was third with 715. Brazil and Spain shared the fair play award. ( Full story ) But as France woke up with the bitter taste of defeat on Monday, the question on everyone's lips was: "Why did Zinedine Zidane do it?" In his last game for his country after a glorious career, the outrageous assault by Zidane on defender Marco Materazzi ensured the midfield genius missed the penalty shoot-out that decided the game. Italy held its nerve to run out 5-3 winners in the shoot-out after the score was tied at 1-1 at the end of extra time. Zidane had scored a seventh minute penalty to put France ahead in Sunday's final in Berlin with Materazzi equalizing 12 minutes later. ( Match report ) "The blue angel turned into a devil," the daily newspaper Le Parisien said of France's favourite footballing icon, making a play on words on the national side's nickname -- "Les Bleus" -- which means "the blues" in French.

The paper nevertheless ran a "Thank You" headline on its front page in tribute to the achievement of the unfancied national side that reached its second final in eight years despite being largely written off as too old. Liberation's frontpage saw the result as "Cruel" while the Le Figaro daily lamented the "Broken Dream of Les Bleus." But the country's top sports paper, L'Equipe, roasted Zidane in an editorial by Claude Droussent, who said Zidane's "stupid" assault was hard to forgive. (Full story) "Zinedine, you know, the hardest thing this morning is not to try and understand why Les Bleus, your Bleus, lost the World Cup final last night. But to explain to tens of millions around the world how you could have let yourself go and head butt Marco Materazzi, 10 minutes from the end of extra-time.

"What should we tell our children and all those for whom you have become an example for ever," he asked, concluding: "How could that happen to a man like you?" The newspaper also criticized Zidane for failing to take to the pitch after the game to collect his medal for France's second place finish and console the team mates he had let down. Former Sports Minister Marie-George Buffet said Zidane's act was unforgivable for its effect on children watching the game. "We can't excuse this gesture," she told RTL radio, adding that she wanted to know the full story. But the players themselves, who have refused to divulge what was said to Zidane by Materazzi, praised the contribution of a player widely regarded as the best of his generation. "All I want to say to 'Zizou,' and I think France should say it and the world of football...is 'thank you.' And thank you, that's it," France striker Thierry Henry said, using the affectionate nickname by which Zidane is known. "To finish in a World Cup final takes nothing away from anything.

On the contrary, we should thank him because if he hadn't returned (to the national side) we would not have been there tonight," said France defender Willy Sagnol. Story Tools Zidane headbutts Materazzi - BEST ANGLE ***** - YouTube Zidane headbutts Materazzi - BEST ANGLE ***** Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jul 9, 2006 France captain Zinedine Zidane was red carded for headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest after the two exchanged words while walking down the field.

Category World Cup Red Card: Zidane's Mom: 'I Want Materazzi's Balls on a Platter' - SPIEGEL ONLINE World Cup Red Card: Zidane's Mom: 'I Want Materazzi's Balls on a Platter' World Cup Red Card Zidane's Mom: 'I Want Materazzi's Balls on a Platter' French soccer star Zinedine Zidane has spoken out about the red card incident in the World Cup final saying he head-butted Marco Materazzi after the Italian defender repeatedly insulted his mother and sister. Now Zidane's mother has joined the argument: she wants revenge. July 13, 2006 12:09 PM Feedback It was perhaps the most shocking moment of this summer's World Cup in Germany: French midfielder Zinedine Zidane turned suddenly to head-butt Italian player Marco Materazzi in the chest, knocking him to the ground. France's captain subsequently was sent off for the seemingly inexplicable action only 10 minutes before the 34-year-old star planned to retire.

After Italy went on to win the final in a penalty shootout, the whole world wondered what could have put Zidane into such a rage that he would end his career on such a truly ignominious note. Materazzi had admitted he insulted the Frenchman, but denied calling him a "terrorist" or attacking his mother. Asked during an interview with the French broadcaster Canal Plus on Wednesday night what exactly Materazzi said, Zidane only replied: "It was very personal things about my mama, my sister. I tried not to listen but he kept repeating the words." An idol to millions around the world, Zidane apologized for his behavior on the pitch last Sunday. "I ask for forgiveness from the kids that saw that. There's no excuse for it," said Zidane. "I have to say that loudly and clearly since it was seen by a television audience of two to three billion and some millions of children." However, he added he could not regret what he did, since it would justify what Materazzi had said to him. "I can't regret my actions because that would mean he had the right to say what he did. I can't, I can't say that.

No, he didn't have the right to say what he did." It seems one person at least agrees with Zidane's refusal to apologize to Materazzi: Zidane's own mother, Malika. English tabloid The Mirror quotes Malika -- who is recovering from illness -- as telling friends: "I am utterly disgusted by what I have heard. I praise my son for defending his family's honour." "No one should be subjected to such foul insults on or off the football pitch and I don't care if it was a World Cup Final. I have nothing but contempt for Materazzi and, if what he said is true, then I want his balls on a platter." Materazzi on Tuesday admitted that he had provoked the retiring French midfielder before the attack that led to a red card for Zidane in the World Cup final in Berlin. But the Italian defender claimed the Frenchman had been "super arrogant" just prior to the ugly incident, according to a report in the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. "It was the kind of insult you hear dozens of times that just slip out while on the pitch," the paper quotes Materazzi as saying.

He denied recent reports in the French paper L'Equipe and Britain's The Guardian that he called Zidane -- whose family are Muslims from Algeria -- a "terrorist" and insulted his mother. "I'm not educated, I don't even know what a terrorist is," the 32-year-old said. "I certainly didn't attack Zidane's mama -- for me mama is holy." Materazzi said the trouble started after he had briefly held onto Zidane's jersey, which caused the French captain to say to him condescendingly that he could have it after match. "I responded to him with an insult, that's true," said the Inter Milan defender, who lost his own mother at the age of 15. The British daily The Times, however, reported that an assessment by an expert lip reader concluded Materazzi had called Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore" before adding "so just f**k off." Brazil broadcaster O Globo reported another lip reader thought he called Zidane's sister a prostitute -- twice. After Zindane's TV appearance, Materazzi reiterated on Thursday that he did not insult the French star's family. Despite that, soccer's governing body FIFA chose to open disciplinary proceedings against him.

After both players give their official statements to a special commission, a decision on any possible sanctions is expected to be taken on July 20. mry/afp/sid/times/dpa World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No5: Zinedine Zidane's head-butt | Ian McCourt | Global | The Guardian 25 stunning World Cup moments World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No5: Zinedine Zidane's head-butt In dragging France to the 2006 World Cup final Zidane hinted at immortality and, once they got there, he proved his mortality Italy's Marco Materazzi goes down after being butted by Zinedine Zidane of France during the 2006 World Cup final. Photograph: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images Tuesday 11 March 2014 06.03 EDT First published on Tuesday 11 March 2014 06.03 EDT Share on Messenger Close The crowd are whistling. Something has happened. Marco Materazzi is on the ground. The match commentators are confused.

They think David Trezeguet has had something to do with it but they are just guessing. Their eyes, and the eyes of hundreds of millions of people around the world, were on the other end of the pitch. They did not see it. Gianluigi Buffon did. He races to the officials on the sideline, remonstrates and points fingers. By now the rest of the players have cottoned on. On the sidelines, Marcello Lippi has to be restrained. In the midst of it all one man is calm. Zinedine Zidane just stares ahead. Having talked with his assistants, the referee, Horacio Elizondo, approaches the French captain. A red card is waved. Zidane, with an arm around his shoulder, tries to explain that he had been provoked. It is all to no avail. What many people forget is that Zidane was not supposed to be there in the first place. The shock exit at the hands of Greece in Portugal at Euro 2004 had signalled what he called "the end of a cycle" and had convinced him that he should retire from international football. It was no longer for him.

On 12 August 2004 he released a statement on his website. "I have thought long and hard over this decision. I think that at a given moment you must say 'stop' … There have been some great players who retired in 2000 and 2002, other players are doing it and now I'm doing it." Almost exactly a year later Zidane would use that very same website to announce his return. There had been rumours that he would do so but Zidane had publicly denied them. When asked by L'Equipe for his reaction to the news, Christophe Dugarry, a former World Cup-winning team-mate of Zidane's, instructed the paper not to run the story as he thought somebody must have hacked the website. There had been no piracy involved, however, Zidane was back . "For the very first time in my life I have decided to go back on my word which is very important for me," read his statement. "When I made the decision to retire I was very serious – today I have made the same decision but in reverse." Zidane had listened to the voice.

"One night, at 3am, I suddenly woke up and I then spoke with someone," he said, explaining his reason for coming out of international retirement. "Until I die I will never tell [who that person was], this is just too crazy. This is someone that you will probably never meet. During the hours that followed I was on my own with that person, at home, and I took the decision to come back. I had never experienced that before, I felt pushed by this force which dictated my behaviour. It was a revelation for me, I had to obey that voice that was advising me." The manager of France, Raymond Domenech, publicly declared himself to be "extremely happy" that Zidane – as well as Claude Makélélé and Lilian Thuram – had decided to come out of retirement and so he should have been. Domenech had done very little to persuade the three players, who had a combined age of 98, to stay on when he took over from Jacques Santini in 2004 but his France side were struggling through World Cup qualification and in need of experienced professionals. The manager looked out of his depth.

Writing about France and Zidane's return for the Observer a year before the tournament, Darren Tullett quoted one French World Cup winner as saying: "Domenech is a prat and we haven't got a clue what he's going on about half the time." The results at that stage in the qualification process backed up the player's claim. France may have been undefeated but there had been too many unconvincing displays in a weak enough group. That was especially true at home where they had racked up scoreless stalemates against Israel, Ireland and Switzerland (Cyprus and the Faroe Islands made up the rest of the group). That left Domenech's side in fourth place, three points behind the group leaders, Ireland, with just four games to go. Their hopes of making Germany looked set to be dashed. However, with Makélélé, Thuram and Zidane restored to the squad France won three matches, drew the other, finished top of their group and the country could let out a sigh of relief. Three weeks before the end of La Liga's 2005-06 season, it was time for another announcement from Zidane. This was it for him.

He was done with club and international football for good. "I have to listen to my body and I cannot carry on for another year. I think it is better to clarify the situation now. I have been thinking about it for a long time. It's been three years since we [Madrid] won anything and in two of those, I've not played as I've wanted. I am not going to play any better than I have done in the past. I don't want to just play for Real Madrid for the sake of it." There would be no more jaw-dropping volleys and there would be more balletic pirouettes, his signature move that left defenders rooted to the ground like an old tree. There would, however, be one last chance of glory on the biggest stage football has to offer. While Spain, Brazil and Portugal all qualified from the group stages with three wins, nine points and the utmost of ease, France recreated their poor form from qualification. Their first match was against Switzerland. Kobi Kuhn's limited team knew the French only too well and they were able to frustrate their foes at every turn.

From little material, Zidane, captaining the team, fashioned his side's only real opportunities but both were spurned by team-mates. Fires burned, nostrils flared and tempers bubbled. Thuram and William Gallas felt the lash of their captain's tongue. The match ended in a goalless draw . France's Zinedine Zidane, left, and Lilian Thuram during the group stage match between France and Switzerland at the 2006 World Cup. Photograph: Cristof Stache/AP France's next match failed to offer little improvement in terms of result or, indeed, performance. A Thierry Henry goal after nine minutes gave them the lead but South Korea took the game by the scruff of the neck and deserved their point in the 1-1 draw , if not all three. In the eyes of the French this was a humiliating result that was made worse by the form of Zidane.

"The way the France captain played," wrote Michael Walker in the Guardian , "he is in danger of being referred to as the once-great Zidane … this was not the Zidane we will recall or want to recall." Playing as part of a trio behind Henry, he was "slow and sloppy", a mere shadow of his former majesty. Domenech agreed. With three minutes of injury time left and France in search of a winning goal, he took off the three-time winner of the Fifa World Player of the Year award and replaced him with Trezeguet. Unless France beat Togo in their next match that would be the last time that the world would glimpse Zidane at work, a most ignominious exit for a glorious player. He had picked up two yellow cards and was suspended for the next game. Togo were poor, but it took 55 minutes for France to break them down. Patrick Vieira celebrated his 30th birthday with his fifth goal in 90 appearances before Henry got his second of the tournament to seal the victory . France could have won by more but they were held back by Trezeguet's lack of confidence and Franck Ribéry's errant finishing.

Nonetheless, they were through to the next round, qualifying in second place just ahead of South Korea. They had won their first World Cup match since beating Brazil in the final eight years earlier and they had done it all without Zidane in their side. Such had been the midfielder's wayward performances by that stage of the competition that ahead of the last-16 match against Spain, the Guardian ran a referendum questioning whether Zidane should start. "The powers of the once imperious midfielder looked to have deserted him … would Domenech be better to stick to a winning formula to generate much needed momentum?" it asked. Few who had seen him play would have argued that Zidane deserved to be anything other than a spectator but Domenech disagreed. Zidane would start. Eric Abidal backed his manager's choice: "Zidane will be the difference," he said. Abidal could never have known how prophetic his words would be but he surely knew how little say his manager had at that point of the tournament.

"Domenech had come into the 2006 World Cup with a masterplan that quickly looked more like a botched strategy devised by someone who didn't master much, least of all his own players," wrote Philippe Auclair of L'Equipe in his biography of Thierry Henry, Lonely at the Top. "Frustrated by their incapacity to overcome modest opponents in the group phase, senior members of Domenech's squad … decided to take the matter into their own hands and impose self-governance within the French camp. That, at least, is the way in which France's resurgence from the round of 16 onwards is almost universally explained in my home country." Zidane, of course, was the most senior of those senior members and he was about to take total control. With just seven minutes remaining on the clock and sides drawing 1-1, France won a free kick outside the box. Spain had been very impressive in the group stages and many expected them to finally come good in major tournament (their starting 11 contained eight players who would go on to win Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and afterwards Henry admitted that "people ...

thought we were going to get killed against Spain"). By this stage in the game, the momentum had seemed to be swinging towards them – just minutes before Joaquín had rifled a shot wide of the post after making a mockery of the France defence. Then up stepped Zidane. His free kick was converted by the head of Vieira. Nine minutes later and two minutes into injury time, with Spain still in search of an equaliser, he picked the ball up wide on the left. Marauding into Spanish territory, he quickly cut inside Carlos Puyol and fired inside Iker Casillas' near post. He was back and with a bang that could be heard from Paris to Pamplona . Next up was a date with tournament favourites Brazil . Fifty-six minutes into the game France were awarded a free kick wide on the left when Cafu fouled Florent Malouda. Zidane stood over the ball once again. He spotted that the Brazilian defence had gone to sleep at the back post and aimed for that area. Within moments Henry had put France into the lead and the striker was celebrating with his team-mates. Zidane, however, stood apart from the rest, smiling to himself.

Just as with the match against Spain, it was he who separated the two sides. At one stage he held off Kaká while juggling the ball and later he would knock it over Ronaldo's head, making the World Cup winner look like a lost schoolboy searching for his mother. "He ran the game," wrote Amy Lawrence for The Observer. "From the first moment, when he signalled his intent by carving through the yellow shirts, to the last, when he pushed up front in search of the killer goal. And in between he delivered the most memorable touches, the sweetest moves." Henry's goal was enough to win the game for France. They were through to the semi-finals where they would face Portugal. Brazil's Ze Roberto, Kaka and Juninho surround Zinedine Zidane of France during the 2006 World Cup quarter-final. Photograph: Matthias Schrader/EPA Those who fail to learn from history are bound to repeat it and Portugal failed to learn. In Euro 2000 they gave away a penalty to lose 2-1 to France in the semi-finals and it happened again in Germany.

Henry needed no invitation to hit the ground in the box but an experienced defender such as Ricardo Carvalho should really have known better than to be putting in such a challenge in such a situation. The Portuguese keeper, Ricardo, may have been able to halt England but he could not do the same to Zidane, whose two-step run up and crisp finish had too much power for him to keep out. Zidane's goal was enough to win the game for France and set up a final with Italy. The statue that commemorates that moment stands around 16 feet tall , almost three times as high as the two men its story centres on. And yet it could have been all so different. Zidane had given France the lead in the final in the most audacious fashion. There cannot be too many players who would have the confidence and audacity to successfully execute a Panenka in a World Cup final but Zidane did. Deep in extra-time he almost doubled his goal count for the game. Just outside the Italian area, he played the ball to Willy Sagnol out on the right-hand side, before moving through the opposition defence with all the silence and stealth of a spy on a secret mission.

Sagnol's cross was met with a powerful header from his captain that forced Buffon to tip the ball over the bar with a most magnificent save. The various videos and angles of the build-up to the headbutt show Materazzi's mouth moving but his words can only be heard by one person, the one person who matters, the one person Materazzi wants to hear. Despite the scurrilous and evidence-free accusations printed by some newspapers, the defender's words were not about his opponent's religion or ethnicity. "I prefer the whore that is your sister," Materazzi would later admit to saying . It was the sort of schoolboy insult that Zidane, and thousands of other professional footballers, must have heard from fans, and indeed fellow players, on a regular basis. Something, however, snapped that evening in Berlin and in Zidane. All the beauty and brilliance of his play in the knockout stages melted away and what was left was his anger and aggression. "I tried not to listen to him but he repeated them several times," said Zidane . "Sometimes words are harder than blows.

When he said it for the third time, I reacted." Zidane had already taken some steps past the Italian defender when the red mist descended like a fog on Dickensian London. He lent forward, lowered his head and rutted like a deer in mating season. Afterwards, his opponent clutched the ground and his chest like a drunk their last bottle. Zidane's stare communicates his sheer contempt for Materazzi and his words. "I would have rather been knocked down than hear that," he said. Pandemonium then took hold on and off the pitch and within moments Zidane was gone. Perhaps the most iconic image of 2006 World Cup is not the dark-eyed Zidane standing over a stricken Materazzi but the picture of the solitary Zidane walking past the glistening World Cup trophy on his way back to the dressing room. So near and yet so far. France's Zinedine Zidane looks up during the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. Photograph: Jerry Lampen/Reuters After his goodbye speech in the dressing-room to his retiring captain was done, Domenech began the applause, but "there was only the grinding of teeth" the French manager said.

"Certain players really hated their captain." They were not the only ones who were dismayed and disappointed by Zidane's actions. Le Figaro called his head-butt "odious" while L'Equipe's front page asked : "What should we tell our children, for whom you have become an example for ever? ... How could that happen to a man like you?" Frank Leboeuf, meanwhile, described himself as "ashamed" by the actions of his former team-mate. Zidane could have been forgiven for feeling a sense of trepidation upon his return to France. He would have been aware of the reception that greeted his Real Madrid team-mate David Beckham after he arrived back in England in 1998 following his sending-off against Argentina. France, however, was different. There was no need for armed guards and there was burning of Zidane effigies. Instead, the Place de la Concorde was filled with thousands of fans waving flags and rhythmically chanting "Zizou! Zizou!" like monks in a monastery worshipping a higher power. Jacques Chirac, the president of France, led the tributes.

"The match you played last night was full of talent and professionalism," he said. "I know that you are sad and disappointed but what I want to tell you is that the whole country is extremely proud of you. You have honoured the country with your exceptional qualities and your fantastic fighting spirit, which was your strength in difficult times, but also in winning times." Chirac's words may have seemed to be a touch excessive but they reflected what the people wanted to hear. Polls done in the immediate wake of the incident backed up the public shows of support for Zidane: 61% of French people said they had already forgiven him for his actions while 52% said they understood them. His bones had ached, his form had dipped but Zidane managed to conjure up a final, extended piece of magic to woo the world. His performances after the group stages, according to Auclair, "ranked among his finest in a blue shirt". Not many would argue against that. Before the tournament, few in France could have hoped that the team would come within a penalty shoot-out of winning but Zidane had given them hope.

"For a month, France was dreaming with Zidane" wrote Libération but that dream was dashed the moment Materazzi opened his mouth and Zidane turned to face him. And yet the people of France would not let that moment of madness tarnish all that he had given them throughout his career. As one French writer said at the time : "It's good for us to see our national hero is fallible." What the Guardian wrote: Italy strike gold as Zidane sees red By Kevin McCarra, Berlin, 10 July 2006 Italy are world champions, with a flawless set of penalties in the shoot-out securing football's ultimate prize. They had never been undisputed masters in any other aspect of the final, yet the honour is theirs for the fourth time in their history. The veterans of France, tapping unimaginable reserves of stamina, had been more potent from the opening of the second-half onwards but are now submerged in the miseries of their leader. A red card rather than a greetings card ushered Zinedine Zidane into retirement 19 minutes into extra-time. The captain was sent off for reacting to a dispute with Marco Materazzi by turning and butting the scorer of Italy's goal in the chest.

He had surely been provoked - there were suggestions last night that Materazzi had called him "a terrorist" - but Zidane will be right to curse his stupid reaction. This World Cup had come to mean too much to him and the dismissal followed three bookings in his six matches here. The 34-year-old was as overwrought as any testosterone-maddened youngster but could still have contrived a triumph. Five minutes before his expulsion he was unmarked to connect with Willy Sagnol's cross 12 yards out but his header was tipped over by Gianluigi Buffon. Goalkeepers had little to do, even if the final was diverting and often classy. Buffon might as well have been a bystander in the shoot-out, since a Juventus team-mate David Trezeguet bashed his penalty against the bar. The left-back Fabio Grosso secured victory for Italy from the spot. One of the worst aspects of the sudden-death system is that it leaves the losers tormenting themselves over each detail that might have been different. Thierry Henry, affected for a while by a first-minute head knock, had a splendid, free-running spell after the interval and compelled Buffon to an important stop.

The coach Raymond Domenech, though, was eventually to substitute him. By then Henry was exhausted but his removal meant that neither he nor Zidane could face Buffon in the shoot-out. The veteran, in a rather erratic fashion, had illustrated at the very start of the night that he could beat the goalkeeper. After six minutes Henry headed into the area from the left and Florent Malouda went down as Materazzi closed on him. There had seemed to be a slight contact, enough to meet the referee Horacio Elizondo's criteria. Plotting the penalty, Zidane almost baffled himself in the battle of wits. He had scored the single goal of the semi-final against Portugal from the spot by hitting a sharp, low finish to the goalkeeper's right. Here, confronted by his former Juventus colleague Buffon, he opted for the opposite. The ball was floated the other way, where it caught the underside of the crossbar and dropped over the line. There was a suspicion then that luck would rally to Zidane 's aid with the total fulfilment of his life as a footballer.

Minds turned to the symmetry of his impact, considering that he had delivered an opener, too, when France took the 1998 World Cup in Paris. The harmonies of history were, in practice, to take another shape entirely. Italy had never before conquered on penalties in the World Cup finals and were even vanquished by France in that fashion at the quarter-final stage eight years ago. A nation famed for its icy efficiency was bound to put that right sooner or later. France had made Italy turn into a former incarnation of themselves. The manager Marcello Lippi has been encouraging a more expressive style but that had been of sporadic worth. Not even the loss of Patrick Vieira in the second half, to a hamstring injury, halted the rising assertiveness of Domenech's players. Lippi would be driven to bolster his midfield with the introduction of Daniele de Rossi, who came fresh from a four-game ban for elbowing the United States forward Brian McBride in the face. The manager was reacting to circumstances then, but had evidently conducted a measured examination of the France back four beforehand. Materazzi equalised by overpowering Vieira to meet an Andrea Pirlo corner on 19 minutes and smash a header into the net.

France's discomfort at set pieces was never eased and, when Francesco Totti released Luca Toni for an effort that was blocked, Domenech's team faced another corner. Pirlo flighted it once more and, on this occasion, it was Toni who won the header but hit the crossbar. The long-serving France players did understand how to regroup and not long after the interval the Italy right-back Gianluca Zambrotta ran a serious risk with his challenge on Malouda. The argument for a penalty was stronger than it had been at the opening of the evening, yet the ref eree was reluctant to grant a second for an offence on the same player. The changes of personnel made by a perturbed Lippi were nearly followed by a breakthrough. The dead-ball expert Pirlo piloted one more free-kick and Toni can have been off-side by only a fraction as he headed the ball past Barthez. There will be no regrets for any Italian in the return to supremacy of their national team, following the ignominy of early exits at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, but this was not exactly the culmination that had been anticipated.

Lippi's team, overall, has been the best in this tournament but recognition of that is muddled by admiration for the pluck that France showed and sadness that Zidane should have left the stage in such a dismal manner. Scott Murray: When Johan Cruyff sold Jan Olsson the mother of all dummies with the subtlest of swerves, his trick became the enduring symbol of Total Football Published: 11 Jun 2014 England’s goalkeeper Gordon Banks was laid low by food poisoning before their World Cup quarter-final in 1970 Published: 9 Jun 2014 Scott Murray: Random tales from the 1966 Football World Championship for the Jules Rimet Trophy that have absolutely nothing to do with Azerbaijani linesmen, Kenneth Wolstenholme or Pickles the Dog Published: 5 Jun 2014 Simon Burnton: Paul Gascoigne’s bottom lip wobbled as he was ruled out of a World Cup final England would never reach, and in an instant Gazzamania was born Published: 3 Jun 2014

Question: Who was the Italian player head-butted by French captain Zinedine Zidane in the final of the football World Cup 2006?
Answer: Marco Materazzi