Who remembers this moment?
This Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most memorable incidents in FIFA World Cup history.
On July 9, 2006, Zinedine Zidane was sent off during the World Cup final in Germany after delivering a headbutt to Marco Materazzi.
This incident marked the end of Zidane’s illustrious career with the French national team, and it paved the way for Italy’s victory with stars like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, and Alessandro Del Piero leading the way for Azzurra.
At the Olympiastadion in Berlin, the match had already entered the second half of extra time, with a 1-1 scoreline held from regular play—both goals scored by Zidane and Materazzi.
In the 110th minute, a heated exchange ensued between the two players, culminating in Zidane’s infamous lunge that resulted in his immediate red card.
The images of this event, along with Zidane’s departure from the field, became etched in sports history.
📸 JOHN MACDOUGALL
📸 PATRIK STOLLARZ – 2006 AFP
📸 ROBERTO SCHMIDT
After Zidane’s departure, who had netted France’s penalty goal, the team saw Italy claim victory in the shootout, winning 5-3. Materazzi successfully converted his penalty, while Trezeguet missed for France.
Zidane later disclosed that Materazzi had provoked him by mentioning his sister, who was unwell at the time. Materazzi, on his part, claimed he had been the target of insults from Zidane as well.
This match represented the end of an era for a generation that had previously celebrated France’s first World Cup victory in 1998 and their success at Euro 2000.
France would go on to become world champions again in 2018, now aiming for a third consecutive final appearance.
Italy, however, has faced challenges, participating only in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and failing to progress beyond the group stage in both tournaments, leading to their current absence from the competition.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.