Zidane-Materazzi’s Incident that made Sagnol Finish 240 Cigarettes in 10 Minutes

DBasia.news –  Former French national team defender, Willy Sagnol, said he was disappointed with Zinedine Zidane’s decision to gore Marco Materazzi at the 2006 World Cup final which brought his country and Italy together.

Zidane took an unsportsmanlike action in extra time when the score was 1-1. His emotions ignited as he was provoked by Materazzi after being involved in a duel in a moment of fighting for the ball.

Zidane’s own red card actually did not really affect the outcome of the match. France finally lost through a shootout.

Even so, resentment was still felt by other French players at that time including, Willy Sagnol. He could not understand the actions carried out by Zidane.

“My thoughts about Zidane is that he is really crazy. He scored a goal and I felt happy. But I felt disappointed after that,” Sagnol told the United States.

“When I entered the locker room after losing, someone spoke and apologized. But I didn’t hear it because I felt a deep disappointment, in my own world.”

In the final match, Zidane was almost a hero. He had brought Les Blues ahead through a penalty in the first round.

Overall, Zidane also played the role of French inspirator in this tournament. He retired from state duty and decided to return to win his second world title.

I was so upset, Sagnol took a long time to forget the incident. The former Bayern Munich defender had not even talked to Zidane for up to two years.

“I did not accept his apology and did not talk to him because it was not the right moment. I had to go to the bathroom, smoke 250 cigarettes in 10 minutes, to turn my attention,” he added.

“In 2008, after the European Cup, I got married and invited him (Zidane). But he could not attend the evening party, although I was glad to see him come in the morning.”

The action carried out by Zidane has still caused pros and cons. There are those who understand it but a few have also judged that the header was inappropriate for a player of Zidane’s caliber.