da leao： Marco Materazzi revealed that he never crossed paths with Zinedine Zidane again after the infamous headbutt incident during the 2006 World Cup final.

da supremo： Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the 2006 WC finalItaly went on to win trophy after penalty shootout win over FranceNot met with Zidane since that night in BerlinGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Former Italy defender Materazzi was involved in a heated altercation with Zidane, which culminated in the French star headbutting him and subsequently receiving a red card. Following the incident, Italy went on to claim victory in the final after edging a penalty shootout, with the match finishing 1-1 after extra time. In an interview with , Materazzi expressed his regret and insisted that he does not want the incident to remain the most distinctive moment of his otherwise glittering football career.

AdvertisementWHAT MATERAZZI SAID

"I don’t like it, because it doesn’t do justice to what my career was," he said.

"That episode should never have happened. In the tension of that final in Berlin, amidst the bickering and insults, Zidane offered me his shirt, and I said no, that I preferred his sister. Then he turned around and reacted as everyone remembers. I never saw Zinedine again."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Materazzi also reflected on his time at Inter Milan, particularly under the management of Jose Mourinho, who guided the club to the treble in 2009-10. He praised Mourinho as the best manager he ever worked with, despite initial challenges adjusting to a reduced role in the team.

"He was, without a doubt [the best manager I ever had]," Materazzi said.

"And despite everything, it wasn’t easy to accept my initial situation. I was used to being important, to being the captain, but with Mourinho, I started to lose prominence. However, he was honest with me from the very first moment, when he told me that I was going to be less involved. It was a pity we didn’t meet earlier."

TREBLE VS WORLD CUP

When asked to compare his greatest achievements – the 2010 club treble with Inter Milan and Italy's World Cup triumph in 2006 – Materazzi found it impossible to choose between the two.

"Do you prefer mum or dad? I can’t choose one over the other. They were without doubt the two best nights of my career," he said.