- Zinedine Zidane red card in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final remains an unforgettable subject
- He headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi
- He was given a red card and retired after this World Cup
Zinedine Zidane red card in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final remains an unforgettable subject in the world of football.
Ranked among the best football players in the world, the Frenchman showed the world his other side, far from his soccer wit. He is full of guts!
The former Real Madrid manager headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the chest in the full glare of 715.1 million people watching the finals globally. This incident occurred in the 110th minute of the match, with the score tied 1-1. France went on to lose the match in a penalty shootout.
It was a shocking act, considered by many as a stain on his successful career. After the match, Zidane apologized for his behaviour and announced his retirement from professional soccer.
WHAT EXACTLY DID MATERAZZI SAY TO ZIDANE?
Zinedine Zidane. Photo by Daily Mail
The exact reason why Zinedine Zidane headbutted Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final is not entirely clear. Both players gave differing accounts of what was said between them.
Zidane stated that Materazzi had made a racist comment to him. But Materazzi denied making such a statement and claimed that Zidane had insulted his mother. Zidane also said Materazzi provoked him repeatedly during the match and said something insulting to him before the incident occurred.
Materazzi quotes Zidane as saying, “If you want my shirt, you can have it after the game,” as they left the penalty area. Materazzi, though, already owned a Zidane jersey. After a previous match between Italy and France, they had switched shirts.
Materazzi added that he responded that he would prefer to have his [Zidane’s] sister, which triggered a furious reaction from the Frenchman. And that was the genesis of Zinedine Zidane red card history in his last World Cup.
From a different view, it is also possible that the headbutt resulted from the intense emotions and pressure that both players were experiencing during the World Cup final match. It’s a high-pressure situation, and players can react differently to stress.
However, whatever the reason was, it was a surprising and unfortunate event that marred an otherwise memorable tournament. It ended Zidane’s illustrious career in a sour note.
HOW MANY RED CARDS DOES ZIDANE HAVE?
During his professional career as a soccer player, Zinedine Zidane red card history is three times. The first one was in the World cup final match of 2006, which we have already discussed, and the other two were during his club career while he was playing for Juventus and Real Madrid, respectively.
It’s worth noting that while he was one of the best players in the world, Zidane was known for his calm and composed nature on the field and his ability to control his emotions.
He was considered a “gentleman” of the game. So the red card in the World cup final was out of character. But again, he admits that while he was wrong to headbutt the Italian, he is human and reacted in the heat of the moment.
HOW DID ZIDANE END HIS CAREER?
Zinedine Zidane. Photo by CNN
The 2006 World Cup Final ended with the infamous Zinedine Zidane red card, which also saw him retire from football. His last appearance on a football pitch was on July 9, 2006, during the World Cup match.
After the match, Zidane announced his retirement from professional soccer, saying that the World Cup final would be his last game as a professional player. He had already planned on retiring after the tournament, but the red card in the final served as the punctuation of his career. He was 34 years old at the time.
During his career, Zidane had a significant impact and accomplished many things. He won numerous trophies with Juventus and Real Madrid and was a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and his performances on the field are remembered by many as some of the most sublime and elegant in the history of soccer.
WHO DID ZIDANE SAY WAS THE BEST PLAYER?
Zidane has and still speaks highly of many players throughout his career. He has praised many of his peers and players from previous generations.
However, Zidane believes is the best player of all time, but he also has deep respect for the late Argentine football icon Diego Maradona. Zidane remarks that Maradona is the most outstanding player he has ever seen.
He adds that Maradona’s creativity, vision, and ability to change a game were unmatched.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login