It’s not a day like any other: Zinédine Zidane’s header against Marco Materazzi in the final of the World Cup in Berlin

It was the last game of his career and it could have been his big farewell. To the July 9, 2006 Zinedine Zidane participated with the French national team in the World Cup final in Germany against Italy. But instead the departure of the 1998 world champion was inglorious. Zidane was sent off after heading Marco Materazzi.

Zidane and Materazzi were immediately the center of attention in Berlin. The Frenchman gave him the lead with a penalty kick in the 7th minute. The Italian equalized just twelve minutes later, the same result after 90 minutes.

It went into overtime. And in the 109th minute, the header scene unexpectedly came to the spectators in the stadium and in front of the television. Zidane, then 34, received an instant red.

Materazzi had previously worn the Frenchman’s shirt. As both players confirmed, Zidane then told his opponent that he could have the shirt after the final whistle. According to Zidane, Materazzi would later insult his sister. Materazzi replied by saying that he would rather have Zidane’s sister than the shirt. The then 34-year-old later admitted on Italian television that he had called Zidane’s sister a “whore”.

Without Zidane, the French lost on penalties 3-5. Materazzi scored for his team to make it 2-1. In the end, both were disqualified: Zidane for three games for the assault, Materazzi for two for a bad insult. In the Frenchman’s case, however, that no longer mattered because he had withdrawn anyway.