Zinedine Zidane is fed up with the same old question: his sharp response is sparking debate

On the eve of the France-Italy Nations League match, scheduled for Friday at 8:45 p.m. in Paris, things heated up during the press conference featuring French head coach Zinedine Zidane, who responded sharply to a question about his last encounter as a player against the Azzurri—the 2006 World Cup final, which ended with him receiving a red card in extra time after headbutting Marco Materazzi.

Speaking specifically about that incident, one of the reporters present asked Zizou if he had ever found a way to discuss it directly with the former Inter defender. Zizou cut him off with a rather annoyed response, which sparked a debate among fans: “I haven’t had a chance to speak with Materazzi since that incident. I have no regrets, even though I certainly can’t be proud of what happened. It’s part of my career and my story; beyond that moment, however, there have been many successes and positive moments that I prefer to remember.”

The match in Berlin was, in fact, Zinedine Zidane’s last game as a professional soccer player. After leading the French team as captain to the World Cup final, he scored the opening goal on a penalty kick, but then succumbed to Materazzi’s provocation during extra time with that reprehensible gesture, leading to his ejection by Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo.

With the French national team, Zidane played 108 matches between 1994 and 2006, playing a starring role in winning the 1998 World Cup (scoring twice in the final against Brazil) and the 2000 European Championship (his golden goal in the semifinal against Portugal was legendary). Curiously, in the four matches he played against Italy as a player, the score was always tied at the 90-minute mark: 2–2 in the 1997 Lyon tournament, 0-0 at the 1998 World Cup (France won on penalty kicks), 1-1 in the Euro 2000 final (Trezeguet scored the golden goal) and 1-1 in the 2006 final (an Italian victory on penalty kicks).