(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
In a testament to Zidane’s remarkable impact on the sport, the game against Italy was widely referred to by the press as “Zidane’s last match,” obscuring the fact that it was also the final of the World Cup.
Zidane’s fairy tale had reached its zenith. Few outside of Italy could resist craving a dreamlike finish for the sport’s ace: a World Cup trophy and a Golden Ball award in his last professional game ever.
The ultimate swan song was certainly within reach now more than ever. He had come this far. Who would have thought that at the close of his career, the 34 year old stalwart would once again be the protagonist of the greatest show on earth- no differently than he had been eight long years ago when at the helm of his career?
The day finally came and a billion people tuned in. Berlin’s Olympic stadium was a sight to behold. Fans crammed in, and dozens of VIP guests including President Jacques Chirac and former President Bill Clinton took their seats.
Zidane started the game in classic fashion.
France was awarded a seventh minute dubious penalty, and Zidane teed up the ball. Barely taking a couple of steps forward, he chipped the ball past Buffon, the tenacious Italian goalkeeper who would be voted the tournament’s best.
Zidane’s chip was exquisite as it was audacious. Cool as a cucumber, Zidane caressed the ball into the net—the dream finish his career so deserved seemed ever so close.
But in the 19th minute, a powerful Marco Materazzi header tied the game for Italy, and the suspense grew.
Italy outplayed France for the rest of the first half, with the tides changing the other way for the second. At the end of regulation time, the two sides remained deadlocked.
An opportunity that could have changed everything came in extra time; Zidane pounced on a cross ball and thrust a bullet header that brought the stadium to its feet—but alas, Buffon reacted impressively and thumped the ball over the crossbar.
How different the headlines would have been had that ball gone in, Zidane and his fans will be left mulling that thought forever. Perhaps then, the tragedy to follow would never have taken place and Zidane the hero would undoubtedly have become Zidane the living legend.
Instead, destiny had it that the single-most bizarre episode of Zidane’s career unfold in the last 10 minutes of it, on this of all stages and with a record one billion-plus people watching.
Human After All
Following an uneventful French attack, Zidane and Italian defender Marco Materazzi seemed to exchange a few words as they jogged back up the field.
Then suddenly and without warning, Zidane took a step back and rammed the crown of his head into Materazzi’s chest as forcefully as he could, flooring the 6’4” giant instantly. Television replays stunned onlookers and sent shockwaves around the world.
As Franz Beckenbauer will tell you, Zidane is generally a calm player, on the pitch as he is off it.
Nonetheless, the mercurial Frenchman has shown a history of losing his cool on extreme occasions—and when he does, bad things happen.
As a professional footballer, Zidane amassed a total of 14 red cards. A head-butt against German Jochen Kientz in 2000 saw him serve a five-game suspension.
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