- Zinedine Zidane headbutted Italian Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final
- After eighteen years of not speaking a word, Materazzi claims he is finally ready to make peace
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Marco Materazzi has revealed he is finally ready to bury the hatchet with Zinedine Zidane after the French legend infamously headbutted him in the 2006 World Cup final.
Zidane was dramatically shown a red card in the final match of his career after colliding with the former Italy star, whose side lifted the trophy.
Materazzi, who claimed in April that he has not spoken to Zidane since the explosive incident, has now revealed that he would be open to speaking to the former Real Madrid and Juventus star and would not demand an apology.
Speak with Lucky blocksaid the Italian: ‘I haven’t spoken to Zinedine Zidane since that day, I’d never spoken to him before and haven’t spoken to him since.
‘We have no relationship. He is a legend of football and I have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a manager, having won three Champions Leagues in a row.
‘I am no longer looking for excuses but would like to have a conversation with him now that so many years have passed. There would be no problem.’
Zinedine Zidane infamously headbutted Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final
Materazzi (above) has revealed he is finally ready to bury the hatchet with the French legend
After Zidane received his marching orders, Italy won the World Cup in the final
Materazzi has previously explained that Zidane’s headbutt was in retaliation after he made a comment about the Frenchman’s sister.
He emphasized that he does not want his legacy to be determined by the infamous moment, the defender previously said The times: ‘I don’t like it because it doesn’t do justice to what my career was like.
‘That episode should never have happened. In the tension of that final in Berlin, amid the bickering and insults, Zidane offered me his shirt, and I said no, that I preferred his sister.
“Then he turned around and reacted the way everyone remembers. I never saw Zinedine again.’
In 2022, Zidane admitted that he is ‘not proud’ of the way his playing career ended disastrously.
The former Real Madrid manager told Telefoot: ‘I am not at all proud of what I have done, but it is part of my past.’
Considered by many to be one of the greatest footballing greats of all time, Zidane started his career in Cannes before moving to Bordeaux in 1992.
He then signed for Juventus in 1996 and emerged as a generational midfielder capable of excelling in all areas of the game, making over 150 appearances and winning two league titles with the Italian giants.
Zidane furiously retaliated after Materazzi made a comment about the Frenchman’s sister
Zidane won France the World Cup in 1998, but was forced to leave the match under tragic circumstances
Five years later, Zidane signed Real Madrid for a world record fee of 77.5 million euros (£64 million) and remained there until his retirement in 2006, adding a LaLiga and Champions League trophy to his impressive portfolio.
Zidane’s greatest achievement as a player was undoubtedly guiding France to World Cup glory in 1998, triumphing on home soil to claim the Ballon d’Or that year.
Since his two separate trophy-laden spells as Real Madrid boss in 2016-2018 and 2019-2021, the 52-year-old has yet to return to management despite being heavily linked with several top jobs across Europe, including Man United and Juventus .