Materazzi: ‘I thank God the Zidane clash did not end more seriously’

Marco Materazzi says the death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel has changed the way he views his infamous confrontation with Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport before Thursday evening’s Nations League meeting between Italy and France, the former Italy defender compared the incidents after de Miguel died on 3 November following a heavy collision with opposing goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a match.

The comments come with memories of the 2006 final again in focus. The first meeting between Italy and France in this Nations League campaign ended 1-1, and the same controversy was already part of the build-up.

Zidane was sent off in Berlin after headbutting Materazzi in the chest during extra time. Materazzi had provoked the France captain with a remark concerning his sister, and the incident became one of the defining moments of the tournament.

‘What if it had happened to me?’

Materazzi said de Miguel’s death had prompted him to consider the possible consequences of violent incidents during matches.

“The death of Jesus de Miguel made me thank God that nothing serious happened to me,” he said, in comments reported by French outlet RMC. “In the goalkeeper’s case, we are talking about involuntary manslaughter resulting from an incident during play… What if the same thing had happened to me?”

The former defender’s comments suggest he now sees Zidane’s headbutt not only as a famous sporting incident, but also as an act that could have carried more serious consequences.

Zidane said in October that he did not regret the incident because it was part of his career, although he added: “I am not proud of what happened.”

Materazzi said he would have preferred Zidane to have acknowledged both his own mistake and the provocation.

“Today, if I were in Zidane’s place, I would say what I said that night 20 years ago, or the following day: I made a mistake, but I was provoked; judge for yourselves what happened, and I apologise,” he said.

“He would have appeared as a great man, while I would have looked like the usual idiot who had made him lose his temper in that way. He would have come out of it better, but everyone has their own way of seeing things. In any case, the story would have ended there.”

Recalling a meeting in Milan

Materazzi also criticised Zidane for not apologising to him directly, despite an opportunity to do so in Milan in 2010, on the eve of Milan’s match against Real Madrid.

“I had the opportunity, that is a fact,” he said. “In November 2010, at the Melia hotel in Milan, I left after greeting Mourinho, and Zidane was parking his car behind me.”

Materazzi said Zidane hesitated when he saw him, but that he approached and shook his hand.

“I told him: ‘I’m happy that we met here, away from people’s eyes,’” he said. “He replied: ‘Don’t worry, these things happen. It is in the past.’”

Materazzi added: “It is a shame that he later went back on his words when he said he thought I was just an ordinary supporter.”

Despite the criticism, Materazzi praised Zidane’s coaching, saying he understands top-level players, gives them space and builds empathy. He also cited his success with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Luka Modric, before saying: “You should never try to teach Cristiano how to take free-kicks, as Rafael Benitez did.”