Marco Materazzi has revealed he would be open to talking to Zinedine Zidane, nearly 20 years after the Frenchman headbutted him during the World Cup final.
Marco Materazzi is prepared to break his silence with Zinedine Zidane, nearly two decades after the infamous World Cup final headbutt incident. In one of football’s most unforgettable moments, Zidane reacted violently to a taunt from Materazzi during extra time in the evenly poised match between Italy and France.
The resulting headbutt led to the dismissal of the Real Madrid and Juventus legend. With their key player off the pitch, France faltered in the penalty shootout, with David Trezeguet’s miss sealing Zidane’s fate in his last professional game and handing Materazzi a winner’s medal.
As expected, the pair have not maintained a close relationship. Despite Zidane’s apology, Materazzi has kept his distance – but this could change. “I haven’t spoken to Zinedine Zidane since that day, I had never spoken to him before and have not spoken to him after. We don’t have a relationship,” Materazzi confessed, speaking to Lucky Block.
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“He is a legend of the game, and I have a lot of respect for him as a player and a manager, winning three Champions League’s in a row. I’m no longer looking for an apology but would happily have a conversation with him now that so many years have passed. There would be no problem.”
Last year, the former Everton defender revealed the trigger for the notorious clash, stating that it was a comment about Zidane’s sister, Lila, that sparked the incident. Materazzi recounted the incident to Italian Football TV in 2023, revealing his trash talk during a heated exchange.
“You know the NBA? Trash talking – my trash talking nothing, very minimal, nothing,” he said. “He offered me his jersey, I say, ‘no, I prefer your sister’.”
Zidane confirmed that this comment was what sparked his anger, admitting: “He provoked me by talking about my sister Lila. I’m not proud of it, but it’s part of my career. At that time, I was more fragile. He didn’t insult my mother, but he did insult my sister.”
Zidane also extended his apologies for the incident, adding: “It was seen by two or three billion people on television, and millions and millions of children were watching. It was an inexcusable gesture, and to them and the people in education whose job it is to show children what they should and shouldn’t do, I want to apologise.”
