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Updated May 5th, 2020 at 11:46 IST

Why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi? Italian reveals provoking sledge during 2006 World Cup

Why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi? Italian defender reveals the reason behind the Zidane's anger and the headbutt incident during the 2006 World Cup final.

Reported by: Daniel Arambur
why did zidane headbutt materazzi
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The Italy vs France 2006 World Cup final was a star-studded affair filled with some of the best names in world football. The likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti featured for Italy. Meanwhile, France saw Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and David Trezeguet line up in the Italy vs France 2006 World Cup final in Germany. However, the glorious finale was marred by the Zidane red card vs Italy which took place in Berlin. In what was a moment of recklessness from Zidane, fans have often wondered, why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi? Here's the reason behind the Zidane headbutt in the Italy vs France 2006 World Cup final.

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Italy vs France 2006 World Cup final

Why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi? Zidane red card vs Italy

In a recent interview, former Inter Milan player Marco Materazzi opened up about the Zidane 2006 World Cup headbutt incident which occurred in the Italy vs France 2006 World Cup final. On the 'why did Zidane headbutt Materrazi issue', the Italian was quoted as saying, "I wasn't expecting it in that moment. I was lucky enough that the whole episode took me by surprise because if I had expected something like that to happen and had been ready for it, I'm sure both of us would have ended up being sent off. There had been a bit of contact between us in the area. He had scored France's goal in the first half and our coach (Marcello Lippi) told me to mark him. After that first brush between us, I apologised but he reacted badly. The late tackles, altercations and exchanges continued until 110 minutes, when things reached a head. After the third clash, I frowned and he retorted: 'I'll give you my shirt later'. I replied that I'd rather have his sister than his shirt." 

Also Read | Marco Materazzi claims he gave Mario Balotelli a "good beating" after UCL semi-final win

Zidane 2006 World Cup outing ended his France international career

Italian defender Marco Materazzi had equalised for Italy after Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring in the first half. The game went into penalties and Italy scored the second goal in the shootout before France's David Trezeguet missed the decisive penalty to hand the Azzurri a World Cup trophy. While the 'why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi' question meant that Zidane was not involved in the penalty shootout, France fans have speculated since that had the 'why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi' question not popped up and the Zidane red card vs Italy not transpired, France would have won the shootout to get their hands on the 2006 World Cup.

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Why did Zidane headbutt Materazzi? Italy vs France 2006 World Cup final highlights

Zidane red card vs Italy

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Published May 5th, 2020 at 11:46 IST

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