The last match of Zinédine Zidane's famous, trophy-filled career resulted in a rush of blood to the skull.
The World Cup championship match between Les Bleus and the Azzurri in 2006 included the French maestro headbutting Italian center-back Marco Materazzi.
During extra time, France applied tremendous pressure on the Italians, but Materazzi fainted when Zidane struck him with his head in the 110th minute.
Despite VAR not yet being used, the referee dismissed the Ballon d'Or winner after studying the action on the stadium's enormous displays in Berlin.
Final score: France lost on penalties, with David Trezeguet's one miss in the shootout breaking Gianluigi Buffon's crossbar.
Materazzi discussed the conversation that caused Zidane to lose it on Italian Football TV.
“You know the NBA? Trashtalking? My trashtalking was nothing. He offered me his shirt [at the end of the game]. I said ‘no, I’d prefer your sister'”
It is impossible to overstate Materazzi's importance in Italy's fourth World Cup victory. He headed home from a corner to cancel out Zidane's infamous panenka opener. He then put on an outstanding defensive performance with future Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro and converted his penalty during the shootout.
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