Materazzi said it was mention of Zidane’s sister which prompted the head butt from the French midfielder which left Italy’s opponents down to 10 men before their defeat on penalties. One of the most incredible moments in World Cup history will always be this Zidane head butt on Materazzi. The coolest footballer loses his composure for one second and is red carded. What did Materazzi say to Zidane has always been something everyone wanted to know:
From CNN: ‘I did not provoke him, I responded verbally to a provocation,’ Materazzi told the daily Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday.
‘We both spoke and I wasn’t the first. I held his shirt but don’t you think it is a provocation to say that ‘if you want my shirt I will give it you afterwards’?
‘I replied to Zidane that I would prefer his sister, that is true. I brought up his sister and that wasn’t a nice thing, that is true,’ said Materazzi.
‘Thankfully there are tens of footballers who could confirm that much worse things are said on the field,’ added the Inter Milan defender.
Materazzi breaks silence finally about the head butt – what caused Zidane to lose his cool for just one second in the World Cup final.
A disgraceful move by such a legend. It’s unfortunate that he had to end his career like this. If only that great header of his went in, just before this happened, but Buffon made a great save. The French coach felt the same, he was thinking he wished he had taken him out, so the crowd could give him his due. To see what happened watch the video below. Also, watch Buffon’s Save of Zidane’s Header, just before this play…
OneFootball tells the story of Zidane and Materazzi, two of the most talented players of their time, and one mad moment that will forever be in World Cup final history. Interesting to hear from Horacio Elizondo, the referee in the final who sent Zidane off. This is all before there was VAR or any video the referee could see.
Watch More Zidane Videos – The genius soccer player that he is should be remembered for his play on the field with the ball at his feet and not the head butt on Materazzi.