Zidane reflects on Materazzi incident ahead of Stade de France debut
Ahead of his home debut as France manager, Zinedine Zidane opens up about the infamous 2006 World Cup final incident.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Author: Oleg Dubyna from Poltava, Ukraine
Twenty years after his dismissal in the 2006 World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane is set to face Italy again, this time as head coach of the France national team. Friday's UEFA Nations League match at the Stade de France marks his first home game in charge of Les Bleus.
The upcoming fixture inevitably recalls the Berlin final, where Zidane's playing career ended with a red card for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi. During the pre-match press conference, Zidane addressed the event candidly.
It's no regret. It's part of my career. I'm not proud of what happened, but you can't always do only good things. At the time, I thought it was the end of my story with the national team, as I didn't know I would become a coach. Living through it was very difficult. But now it's about what comes next. I am ready to return and want to give my all. Zinedine Zidane
The manager also confirmed he has not spoken to Materazzi since that day. Under Zidane's leadership, France has started the campaign well with two away victories against Turkey and Belgium. With Kylian Mbappe sidelined due to injury, Ousmane Dembele will wear the captain's armband on Friday.
Italy, led by Roberto Mancini, has arrived in France with a reduced squad. Beyond the injury to Giacomo Raspadori, Mancini left nine players back in Italy to better prepare for their next match, scheduled for Monday in Bologna.