Marco Materazzi said that he never saw Zinedine Zidane again following the notorious headbutt incident during the 2006 World Cup final.
Materazzi, a former Italy defender, was embroiled in a violent dispute with Zidane, which ended with the French star headbutting him and getting a red card. Following the incident, Italy won the final by edging a penalty shootout and finishing 1-1 after extra time. Materazzi expressed sorrow in an interview with The Times, insisting that the episode should not be remembered as the highlight of his otherwise outstanding football career.
WHAT MATERAZZI SAID
“I don’t like it, because it doesn’t do justice to what my career was,” he said.
“That episode should never have happened. In the tension of that final in Berlin, amidst the bickering and insults, Zidane offered me his shirt, and I said no, that I preferred his sister. Then he turned around and reacted as everyone remembers. I never saw Zinedine again.”
Materazzi also reflected on his time at Inter Milan, particularly under the management of Jose Mourinho, who guided the club to the treble in 2009-10. He praised Mourinho as the best manager he ever worked with, despite initial challenges adjusting to a reduced role in the team.
“He was, without a doubt [the best manager I ever had],” Materazzi said.
“And despite everything, it wasn’t easy to accept my initial situation. I was used to being important, to being the captain, but with Mourinho, I started to lose prominence. However, he was honest with me from the very first moment, when he told me that I was going to be less involved. It was a pity we didn’t meet earlier.”
TREBLE VS WORLD CUP
When asked to compare his greatest achievements – the 2010 club treble with Inter Milan and Italy’s World Cup triumph in 2006 – Materazzi found it impossible to choose between the two.
“Do you prefer mum or dad? I can’t choose one over the other. They were without doubt the two best nights of my career,” he said.
WHAT NEXT?
Post-retirement, Materazzi, now 50 years old, remains active in football, occasionally participating in friendlies with his former Inter Milan team-mates. However, it is evident from his remarks that he desires his professional legacy to be remembered for the trophies he won and not for the incident with Zidane, who has enjoyed a successful career in management since hanging up his boots after the 2006 World Cup final.
