Why did Zinedine Zidane headbutt Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup?

Why would a star player risk his final big game over one angry moment? A headbutt in extra time of the 2006 World Cup final ended Zinedine Zidane’s career. France’s star player struck Italy’s defender Marco Materazzi in the chest during the game.

The cup final was played on July 9, 2006, at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. The fourth official is the match official in the stands area who watches the game with the referee and can alert the referee to incidents the referee missed.

In a game that turns on one ball, a single moment can change the whole result. The headbutt came in the 110th minute, and its replays still air often on sports channels. Few moments in football have such a lasting effect on a career.

Key Takeaways

• Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest in the 110th minute of extra time.
• The exchange started with a remark about Zidane’s sister.
• The referee sent Zidane off with a red card.
• Italy won the penalty shootout 5-3 without Zidane.
• The libel dispute over the remark ended with retractions by British newspapers.

The rest of this article explains the exchange, the final itself and what followed.

What the 2006 World Cup Final Looked Like Before the Headbutt

France and Italy were level at 1-1 when the match went into extra time. The world cup final was a close game from start to finish, and the two sides had traded goals before the last half hour.

France led after Zidane scored from the penalty spot in the seventh minute. Materazzi answered with a header that tied the score for Italy. Zidane was 34 years old at the final, and he had already played the match as France’s main creative player.

A 1-1 draw after extra time sent the final to a penalty shootout.

In 2006, Zidane played for Real Madrid. He appeared in 227 games for the club and scored 49 goals. Those numbers show why many fans saw him as one of the best players of his era.

The score was still level when the two players came into contact again in the 110th minute.

The Exchange That Led to the Red Card

Materazzi said he held Zidane’s shirt to keep him from jumping, and he apologized twice before the exchange. The exchange that followed led to the only red card of Zidane’s career, so the headbutt is still discussed by fans.

The referee sent Zidane off after the fourth official reported the headbutt. BBC Sport’s live report of the final records the headbutt in the chest in the 110th minute.

1. Materazzi holds Zidane’s shirt to stop him jumping.
2. Materazzi apologizes to Zidane.
3. Zidane repeats his shirt remark.
4. Materazzi replies that he prefers Zidane’s sister to his shirt.
5. The match official Luis Medina Cantalejo tells the referee he saw the headbutt.
6. Zidane later apologizes to the children who watched.

What Materazzi Said to Zidane

Materazzi says the trouble began when Zidane pushed past him. He said he grabbed the shirt to stop Zidane from jumping for the ball. Zidane then repeated, “If you want my shirt, I’ll give it to you afterwards.”

Materazzi said he answered that he preferred Zidane’s sister to his shirt. That remark is the one both men describe in the same way. Some reports also linked the story to Materazzi’s mother, but the sister remark is the part both players confirm.

How the Referee and the Fourth Official Reacted

Match official Luis Medina Cantalejo told referee Horacio Elizondo that he had seen the headbutt. Elizondo then reviewed the incident with the fourth official before he decided on the sending off.

Elizondo showed Zidane a red card, and France had to finish the match with one player fewer. The decision ended Zidane’s involvement in the game.

What Zidane Has Said About the Headbutt

Zidane said Materazzi insulted his sister Lila, and that remark is what he gave as the reason for his reaction. He has also said he is not proud of the headbutt. He still considers it part of his career.

The Penalty Shootout and How France Lost It

Italy scored all five of its penalties in the shootout, and France lost 5-3 after David Trezeguet missed. The red card left France without Zidane for the kicks, and that changed the team’s choices.

Italy won the penalty shootout 5-3. The table below shows how the two sides’ penalty takers performed.

Zidane could not take a penalty after his red card. France’s coach had to pick kick takers from the players still on the pitch.

Trezeguet’s miss gave Italy the advantage that it kept to the end. The win was the country’s fourth World Cup title, so the shootout is still remembered as a turning point.

Italy’s shootout win ended the final, and France had no Zidane to take a kick.

Why the Dispute Over Materazzi’s Remark Became a Libel Case

Early reports said Materazzi had insulted Zidane’s mother, and British newspapers later retracted them. The claim spread quickly because it sounded more shocking than the sister remark both men describe.

The newspapers retracted and apologized after the court case. The early stories had repeated the mother claim without checking the details.

What the Newspapers Reported

Some newspapers printed the mother claim within days of the final. Materazzi said the remark about Zidane’s sister was the only comment he made about family.

Readers then saw the mother claim repeated in several outlets. That repetition made the story look more certain than the facts allowed.

What the Courts Decided

In 2009, Materazzi won a libel case against British media. The court case focused on the false report about his conduct.

After the case, the newspapers published a retraction. They acknowledged that the mother claim was wrong and that they had printed it.

What Materazzi Said About His Own Mother

Materazzi’s mother died when he was 15. He has said that he would never insult anyone’s mother, and he has described the claim as hurtful to his family.

The retractions show that the mother claim was not true, while the sister remark was confirmed by Materazzi himself.

Whether Zidane and Materazzi Have Made Peace

Materazzi says he and Zidane have not spoken since the 2006 final. So the two men are not friends by his account, and no reunion has been reported since then.

Materazzi said he has no regrets about the incident. He has not changed his account of the sister remark in the years since the match.

The incident still has no shared ending.

Zidane has taken a different view. He apologized to the children who watched the headbutt and called the act inexcusable.

Their accounts still differ on regret, so the incident has no shared closing statement.

Conclusion

Zidane headbutted Materazzi after a remark about his sister, and the act ended his playing career. The red card came in extra time, so France had to finish the match and the shootout without him.

The reason for the headbutt was a verbal exchange, not a clear rule dispute. Readers who want the facts should separate the sister remark from the claims about the mother.

For a closer look, read the match report and the statements from both players before forming a view.

Sources

1. BBC SPORT | Football | World Cup 2006 – BBC Sport’s live report of the final, covering the extra-time incident and the penalty shootout.

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