Zidane and Italy: twenty years after Berlin, a crossroads of graying loves and old resentments

Dearest enemy. Twenty years after the night in Berlin, Zinedine Zidane and Italy find themselves as opponents for the first time with the national teams, and it is a crossroads of graying loves and old grudges. Beyond the five years at Juve, the Ballon d'Or won when he was Juventus (but essentially for having led France to the first World Cup), the friendship with Del Piero and the successes with Lippi, the real spark never struck between 'Zizou' and Italy.

"More fun than useful", Gianni Agnelli said of him when he chose Madrid in 2001, forever linking the story of his life to Real Madrid. "Italy is always in my heart", he said some time ago, however dribbling away every offer of a bench in Serie A, as that heart didn't warm him much.

The shirt sewn onto the skin is essentially that of Les Bleus, and for this reason he remained out of action for five years, after his farewell to Real Madrid, waiting for Deschamps to vacate his place. Friday for Zidane, who then faced the Italians only with clubs, will be 'deja vu', and the whole of France will be waiting for their idol's first time as coach in a home match.

"No surprise - says Manu Koné regarding the enthusiasm around Zizou - you will see on Friday at the Stade de France, what an ovation: it is perfectly logical, given his immense career, and the technique he still shows in training...". On stage, Italy is an absolute supporting player, both due to the more than tangible gap in talent between Olise and Mancini's youngsters, and because only the memory remains of that Italy champion in Berlin - Buffon having left the role of head of delegation.

Zidane's memory, to tell the truth, cannot fail to also go to that headbutt to Materazzi, which tarnished his career for everyone except the French, ready to forgive him everything in the name of the two winning headers in the '98 final. Only in Italy is it remembered that the boy from Marseille had already made that brawling gesture, in a Champions League match Juve-Hamburg, in 2000, against the German Kientz: result, five match disqualification and probable farewell to the second Ballon d'Or.

The consequence of the head butt on Materazzi, whose dynamics were never clarified by the two protagonists, was instead his farewell to the national team, after 108 matches, four of which were against the Azzurri. From the first in the pre-World Cup tournament in France, a 2-2 in '97 opened by Zizou's goal, to the 2006 World Cup final with his goal from a penalty and then the expulsion before the all-blue penalties; passing through the round of 16 of France '98, which ended at 0-0 and then won on penalties by the hosts, up to the Euro 2000 final marked by the French Golden Goal.

Zidane caused an argument there too, with Berlusconi's reproaches and Zoff's resignation for the Azzurri's marking. Confirming that Zizou was never a follower of Platini; there was no Italian origin, there was no tattooed black and white, and not even that thin thread of love and arrogance that fuels France-Italy stereotypes. Just a lot of distance. You never really understood Zidane, and perhaps didn't even love Italian football. If anything beaten, or carried inside like a silent remorse.