Zidane is remembered as a cool-headed guy with the brain in his feet and astonishing ball control. But one incident will remain forever in the mind of his fans. The infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final.
France took on Italy in the World Cup final. Everyone was expecting Zizou to guide France to another World Cup glory. But Italy defender Marco Materazzi told him something and Zidane headbutted him and moments later he was laying in the ground. The referee gave Zidane a straight red card and France lost the World Cup on penalties.
Zidane’s France teammate Willy Sagnol was so angry with him that he refused to talk to him after the match in the dressing room and hold the grudge till 2008.
Sagnol told Radio Montecarlo: “After the game, in the dressing room, Zidane apologised. But I didn’t accept his apology, I didn’t want to talk to him, it wasn’t the time, there was too much disappointment. I went to the bathroom and smoked 250 cigarettes in 10 minutes. We didn’t talk for two years after that.”
“In 2008, however, I got married and my wife told me to invite him. I called him and we had a little snack together in the morning: we had a good conversation.”
That infamous headbutt would always haunt Zidane as he could have easily won his second World Cup trophy for France.
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