Italy may have gone onto win a dramatic World Cup final in Berlin with their first penalty shoot out win in their history, claiming the trophy 5-3 over France.
But the papers across the World tomorrow will be focusing on one image and one image only.
The game should have been all about the ‘last dance’ for the experienced French and the underdog Italians battling their way through to the final but because sadly for one retiring Frenchman much off the talk was about individual actions rather than the game itself.
With the score tied at 1-1, the referees attention was drawn by a player lying strune on the turf seemingly involved in an off the ball incident. Television pictures could not work out what had happened as Trezeguet, Buffon and Cannavaro were all involved in heated conversation while Materazzi was being tended to by the Italian Doctors.
As the cameras picked up the footage, watchers were horrified to see that the great Zidane’ moment in the limelight was seemingly ending before it was meant to as he was the player who had become involved with the Italian defender.
Television pictures showed that after a conversation between Materazzi and Zidane, far from the ball the French captain had head butted his opponent in the chest. After the Italians had been calmed down, the linesman signaled to the referee exactly what had happened and before France knew it they were down to ten men, denied of their captain. One moment of madness seen around the World will have tainted the reputation of the greatest footballer in the latest generation of player power, super rich millionaires and powerful egos. A man who is as far from all that as could be possible showed that inside every genius there really is a streak of evil.
Coming into this World Cup, Zidane had an average season. Struggling in Madrid with his club side the most famous team in the World had bowed out of the Champions League to Arsenal and surrendered the title to rivals Barcelona meaning no silverware for three years.
Able to score on his final game Zidane wasn't overly emotional about leaving the Bernabeu but realized that his final chance would come in the World Cup.
In 1998 for France, Zidane had made himself a national hero with great performance not to mention two goals in a memorable final against Brazil. Eight years on, France had suffered the heartbreak of losing their European Champions Crown and also the embarrassment of going out of the World Cup in 2002 without scoring a goal. The part which Zidane played in Japan and Korea was minimal due to injury but with 2004 again poor for France in Portugal it was the last chance for Zidane to shine on the World Stage as far as his football career was concerned.
Undeterred by jibes that they were too old and not the team they once were France battled out of a deceptively tough group and despite gaining their only win when Zidane was not present it was certainly an achievement for a side playing so bad to be able to make the final stages.
The form of the man himself was indeed questionable. Against the Swiss he looked over run and against Korea he looked uninterested, was a player thought to be up there with Pele, Maradona and Cruyff ready to roll over and retire in such a mediocre way?
Whether he realized it during his period of suspension against Togo or whether his form just perked is unknown but France certainly were a better team when they turned up to play Spain in Hanover. Involved from the start the public was treated rolling back of the clock or the French master was he tormented and outwitted his slighter footed colleagues in the second round matchup with Spain.
Rumored to be spurred on by Spanish newspaper comments which urged the team to ‘retire Zidane’ it appeared that a France with Zidane in the side could seemingly cause an upset and make the semi final or even final.
The tough task of Brazil lay in the next round but once more Zidane treated us to a performance of great vintage. Not since his early days at Madrid had we seen the Algerian born maestro skip away from players and control the ball with great skill and ability but the night he brought his show to Germany to face Brazil is one that will not be forgotten.
Stepping away from the challenges of Ronaldinho, Kaka and Gilberto all in one swift move revived memories of an equally great passage of play against Portugal in Euro 2000, a tournament when Zidane rested the country on his back and said, “Follow me”. It was ironic in a way that the night Zidane sparkled the heir to his thrown as World greatest player Ronaldinho did little to add to his case to be mentioned in the same breath as the World greats and as Zidane continued to show the form of old it was almost inevitable that it would be his team which the victory went to.
Heading into the semi finals the press wondered whether we were going to be treated to another performance of great quality from the great man; instead we saw the other side of his game, hard work and an ability to dig in for the team when it really matters. His penalty was enough to ensure victory for his side and even though it was not a game impressionable on the memory perhaps, we believed, Zidane was playing within himself to be fit for his Grande Finale against so many of his ex team mates.
Captaining his side for the final time the stage was set and with his goal it was all ready to be a final to be remembered but those thirty seconds of madness ten minutes from the end will no doubt have echoed through many football supporters’ minds as the evening drew to a close. Walking away from a seemingly evident discussion with Materazzi the motivation behind the head butting of the Italian player may never be known but the inquest will go on it seems for a long time.
In the build up to the final in 1998 an incident occurred and confusion reigned as to whether Ronaldo was fit or not, the saga from tonight game seems to have caused as bigger talking point as the final in Paris eight years ago.
The image if Zidane passing the World Cup I'm sure will be one used by many of tomorrow's papers but one wonders what must have been going through the thoughts of such a talented player as he committed the act of intense violence it seemed with no conscience at all.
I do not believe that for one instant that Zidane should be remembered as the player who was sent off in the World Cup final and disgraced his country, after all it isn't the first time that the player had been sent off for a violent attack, it appears which the genius which he harnessed far outweighed the moments of madness and it is those moments of brilliance which he should be congratulated and remembered for.
Whatever the mortal failings of Zinedine Zidane it seems that the football world will be talking about his football career and its happenings long into his retirement years.
But the papers across the World tomorrow will be focusing on one image and one image only.
The game should have been all about the ‘last dance’ for the experienced French and the underdog Italians battling their way through to the final but because sadly for one retiring Frenchman much off the talk was about individual actions rather than the game itself.
With the score tied at 1-1, the referees attention was drawn by a player lying strune on the turf seemingly involved in an off the ball incident. Television pictures could not work out what had happened as Trezeguet, Buffon and Cannavaro were all involved in heated conversation while Materazzi was being tended to by the Italian Doctors.
As the cameras picked up the footage, watchers were horrified to see that the great Zidane’ moment in the limelight was seemingly ending before it was meant to as he was the player who had become involved with the Italian defender.
Television pictures showed that after a conversation between Materazzi and Zidane, far from the ball the French captain had head butted his opponent in the chest. After the Italians had been calmed down, the linesman signaled to the referee exactly what had happened and before France knew it they were down to ten men, denied of their captain. One moment of madness seen around the World will have tainted the reputation of the greatest footballer in the latest generation of player power, super rich millionaires and powerful egos. A man who is as far from all that as could be possible showed that inside every genius there really is a streak of evil.
Coming into this World Cup, Zidane had an average season. Struggling in Madrid with his club side the most famous team in the World had bowed out of the Champions League to Arsenal and surrendered the title to rivals Barcelona meaning no silverware for three years.
Able to score on his final game Zidane wasn't overly emotional about leaving the Bernabeu but realized that his final chance would come in the World Cup.
In 1998 for France, Zidane had made himself a national hero with great performance not to mention two goals in a memorable final against Brazil. Eight years on, France had suffered the heartbreak of losing their European Champions Crown and also the embarrassment of going out of the World Cup in 2002 without scoring a goal. The part which Zidane played in Japan and Korea was minimal due to injury but with 2004 again poor for France in Portugal it was the last chance for Zidane to shine on the World Stage as far as his football career was concerned.
Undeterred by jibes that they were too old and not the team they once were France battled out of a deceptively tough group and despite gaining their only win when Zidane was not present it was certainly an achievement for a side playing so bad to be able to make the final stages.
The form of the man himself was indeed questionable. Against the Swiss he looked over run and against Korea he looked uninterested, was a player thought to be up there with Pele, Maradona and Cruyff ready to roll over and retire in such a mediocre way?
Whether he realized it during his period of suspension against Togo or whether his form just perked is unknown but France certainly were a better team when they turned up to play Spain in Hanover. Involved from the start the public was treated rolling back of the clock or the French master was he tormented and outwitted his slighter footed colleagues in the second round matchup with Spain.
Rumored to be spurred on by Spanish newspaper comments which urged the team to ‘retire Zidane’ it appeared that a France with Zidane in the side could seemingly cause an upset and make the semi final or even final.
The tough task of Brazil lay in the next round but once more Zidane treated us to a performance of great vintage. Not since his early days at Madrid had we seen the Algerian born maestro skip away from players and control the ball with great skill and ability but the night he brought his show to Germany to face Brazil is one that will not be forgotten.
Stepping away from the challenges of Ronaldinho, Kaka and Gilberto all in one swift move revived memories of an equally great passage of play against Portugal in Euro 2000, a tournament when Zidane rested the country on his back and said, “Follow me”. It was ironic in a way that the night Zidane sparkled the heir to his thrown as World greatest player Ronaldinho did little to add to his case to be mentioned in the same breath as the World greats and as Zidane continued to show the form of old it was almost inevitable that it would be his team which the victory went to.
Heading into the semi finals the press wondered whether we were going to be treated to another performance of great quality from the great man; instead we saw the other side of his game, hard work and an ability to dig in for the team when it really matters. His penalty was enough to ensure victory for his side and even though it was not a game impressionable on the memory perhaps, we believed, Zidane was playing within himself to be fit for his Grande Finale against so many of his ex team mates.
Captaining his side for the final time the stage was set and with his goal it was all ready to be a final to be remembered but those thirty seconds of madness ten minutes from the end will no doubt have echoed through many football supporters’ minds as the evening drew to a close. Walking away from a seemingly evident discussion with Materazzi the motivation behind the head butting of the Italian player may never be known but the inquest will go on it seems for a long time.
In the build up to the final in 1998 an incident occurred and confusion reigned as to whether Ronaldo was fit or not, the saga from tonight game seems to have caused as bigger talking point as the final in Paris eight years ago.
The image if Zidane passing the World Cup I'm sure will be one used by many of tomorrow's papers but one wonders what must have been going through the thoughts of such a talented player as he committed the act of intense violence it seemed with no conscience at all.
I do not believe that for one instant that Zidane should be remembered as the player who was sent off in the World Cup final and disgraced his country, after all it isn't the first time that the player had been sent off for a violent attack, it appears which the genius which he harnessed far outweighed the moments of madness and it is those moments of brilliance which he should be congratulated and remembered for.
Whatever the mortal failings of Zinedine Zidane it seems that the football world will be talking about his football career and its happenings long into his retirement years.