Zidane does not regret his headbutt against Materazzi, but he is not proud of it

Retired French football legend and "Roosters" coach, Zinedine Zidane, confirmed that he "does not feel remorse" about his famous headbutt of former Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, but stressed that he is "not proud of that," ahead of the renewed confrontation between France and Italy in the European Nations League on Friday.

Twenty years have passed since Zidane received a direct red card during the 2006 World Cup final, after directing a head kick to the chest of Italian defender Materazzi. This incident had dire consequences, as France lost on penalties in the absence of its leader and prominent star.

Zidane spent five years with Juventus in the period between 1996 and 2001, and he was asked about his impressions about that incident before his renewed meeting with the “Azzurri”.

He said: “These pictures are spread everywhere and they always remind me of that match, but there are other pictures that are more wonderful, and I prefer to focus on the positive aspects.”

He added: "Juventus and Italy were special for me, as I made my name there."

He continued: “I have not spoken to Materazzi and I do not feel remorse, nor am I proud of what I did, but it is part of the journey.”

Zizou added: “You cannot only do good things; this is something everyone goes through in life, but now we have to move forward.”

Although Italy edged out France that night in Berlin, both countries' paths have taken a different direction since then.

The "Roosters" team continued its journey to achieve its second World Cup title in 2018, before finishing runner-up in 2022 and reaching the semi-finals this summer. All of this under the leadership of Didier Deschamps, Zidane's predecessor.

On the other hand, Italy has not won a single World Cup knockout match since that final match 20 years ago, and has even failed to qualify for the last three tournaments.

Zidane said about Italy: “Seeing them outside the World Cup is incredible; they are among the best in the world, and they always have great players.”

He continued: “It may seem strange, but I am not part of that system and I cannot form an opinion about it. However, it is worth noting that Italian teams have always been able to achieve amazing achievements.”