The match was level at 1-1, and nothing appeared to be the deciding factor between two teams. That is until Zinedine Zidane created arguably the biggest controversy in World Cup final history.

Ten years have since rolled on, but now, Marco Materazzi — the Italian defender that was on the receiving end of the infamous head butt at the 2006 World Cup final in Germany — has clarified the comments he made leading up to the physical altercation; kind of.

As you can see in the video above and what was also seen in live action during the match, the two players appeared to exchange words in the second extra time session.

While various reports over the years have attempted to decipher what was said, Materazzi admitted to speaking about Zidane’s sister, despite not providing the context.

“What I said was stupid,” Materazzi said. “But it didn’t deserve that reaction. You would hear stronger words said on the streets of Naples, or Milan, or Paris, much more serious things.

“My mother died when I was 15, so I would never have insulted his. I spoke about his sister.”

Ultimately, France went on to lose in the penalty shootout following Zidane’s straight red card in the 110th minute. That sequence turned out to be the final moment of the Frenchman’s professional playing career.
Tags: 2006 World Cup, France, Italy, Marco Materazzi, Zinedine Zidane.

see pics here...

That Legendary Head Butt