France national team: Zidane relives the memory of his headbutt on Materazzi

Twenty years after the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France, Zinédine Zidane will face Italy again in a unique context. Now the manager of the French national team, the former captain of Les Bleus is preparing to take on the Azzurri in the Nations League, with the indelible memory of Berlin looming large.

On July 9, 2006, France and Italy played an intense final, ending in a 1-1 draw before a penalty shootout won by the Italians (5-3). But beyond the result, this match remains primarily associated with Zidane's last image in the French jersey.

With minutes remaining in extra time, the French playmaker headbutted Marco Materazzi after a verbal exchange with the Italian defender. Sent off, Zidane then left the pitch for the last time as an international player.

Two decades later, this scene continues to resurface. When questioned about this episode at a press conference on Thursday, the new coach of the French national team did not attempt to rewrite history.

"The images always remind me of it, since they are shown everywhere on a loop. I am not proud of what I did, but I have no regrets," Zidane admitted.

The former number 10 also indicated that he had not spoken to Materazzi since that now-historic evening. "I haven't spoken to Materazzi at all since then. It's part of the journey. We all do things that aren't great," he explained.

But for Zidane, Italy is not defined solely by this painful episode. The former Juventus player prefers to remember the happy moments of his history with Italian football.

“I tend to think more about the positive images. Juve was quite special for me; it’s where I became an important player,” he emphasized.

For his debut as manager of Les Bleus, Zidane will return to a team that holds a special place in his history. Twenty years after Berlin, the setting has changed, and so has his role. This time, he will no longer be on the pitch, but on the French national team's bench.