‘It should never have happened’ – Marco Materazzi regrets legacy defined by Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt

There are few truly defining moments in football, but if there was one for Marco Materazzi then it would be the 2006 World Cup final, that one iconic scene when  Zinedine Zidane turned around and headbutted the Italian defender. 

It’s become seen as the demarcating moment in that final, the exact point when France lost what could have been their second World Cup, and the end to a glittering career as it would be Zidane’s last act on a football pitch. 

The Frenchman was always to retire at the end of the competition, it was to be his swan song but in extra-time with the scores level it turned into a nightmare. The midfielder had been marked constantly throughout the game by Materazzi. 

And with his frustration beginning to build between the two players, he offered his shirt to the defender, a comment on how the Italian had been tugging at it all game, trying to foul him so he could not influence events further. 

Materazzi responded that he would prefer Zidane’s sisters. The rest was history. Zidane took a few steps forward then turned and headbutted Materazzi in the chest. A straight red card and the talisman was gone from the side as France succumbed to a penalty shootout. 

Speaking to The Times , Materazzi has expressed how he wishes that his career was not defined by this moment and that this should not be all he is remembered for. “ I don’t like it, because it doesn’t do justice to what my career was. ”

He continues, “It should never have happened. In the tension of the final, in the middle of the bickering and insults, Zidane offered me his shirt and I said no, that I preferred his sister. Then he turned around and reacted like everyone remembers. I never saw Zinedine again.” 

Forgotten in the immediate drama of the