Italy: Materazzi reignites controversy with Zidane over the 2006 headbutt

Twenty years after the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy, Marco Materazzi still hasn't gotten over his altercation with Zinedine Zidane. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Italian defender revisited this pivotal episode, notably criticizing the former French captain for never having offered a public apology. He also drew a controversial parallel with the death of Jesús de Miguel.

Ahead of the Nations League match between Italy and France, Marco Materazzi agreed to revisit one of the most famous moments in football history. On July 9, 2006, during the World Cup final in Berlin, Zinédine Zidane headbutted the Italian defender violently in the chest after Materazzi had provoked him, notably by targeting his sister. Sent off, the French captain then watched his team lose on penalties (1-1, 5-3 on penalties).

Two decades later, this affair continues to fuel debate. And Materazzi makes no secret of his incomprehension at Zidane's attitude, who has never publicly expressed genuine regret for his actions.

Materazzi criticizes Zidane for his lack of apology.

Asked how he would have reacted in the place of the former French number 10, the former Inter Milan player believes that an acknowledgment of the facts would have definitively put an end to the controversy.

"I would say today what I would have said that night, twenty years ago, or the next day: 'I was wrong, but I was provoked. Judge me as you wish: things happened this way, I ask your forgiveness.' He would have come across as a great gentleman and Materazzi as the usual idiot, the one who had provoked all this in his own way," he explained.

The former Italian international also claims to have had an opportunity to reconcile with Zidane in November 2010, in Milan, on the eve of a match between AC Milan and Real Madrid.

According to his account, the two men crossed paths in front of the Melia Hotel. After noticing Zidane, Materazzi took the initiative to approach him and shake his hand. The two former rivals then exchanged a few words.

"I told him, 'I'm glad we ran into each other here, away from prying eyes.' He replied, 'Don't worry, these things happen, it's in the past.'"

But this attempt at reconciliation apparently didn't work out as hoped. Materazzi claims that Zidane later backtracked on the exchange, even going so far as to say he'd mistaken him for just another fan. Despite this disappointment, the Italian maintains he remains open to a possible reconciliation.

A controversial comparison with the death of Jesús de Miguel

The former defender also made particularly questionable remarks when discussing the death of Jesús de Miguel, which occurred after a violent collision during a football match. Materazzi compared this tragedy to the headbutt he received from Zidane in 2006, even though the circumstances of the two events are very different.

"Jesús de Miguel's death made me thank God that nothing happened. They're talking about manslaughter for this goalkeeper following a play. So, what would have happened if it had happened to me?" he wondered.

This statement risks reigniting the criticism surrounding this affair, which has already become part of world football history. Twenty years after the events, Marco Materazzi still seems to be waiting for an apology from Zinedine Zidane, while the prospect of a genuine reconciliation between the two men still seems distant.