Frenchman Zinedine Zidane revealed footage of his famous butting with Italian defender Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, for which he received a red card, and his team eventually lost the championship.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Zidane said: “My mother was very ill that day, it was not a serious problem, but she was not well. I talked to my sister and she told me about her condition and I was worried.”
He continued: Materazzi confirmed that he didn’t abuse my mother, which is true, but he abused my sister, so something inside me moved and what you saw happened.
He continued: On the field, players always exchange insults without reaction, but it happened, I’m not exactly proud of what I did, but I accept it, it’s part of my career.
He concluded: I always say that my career in France is not over yet, I don’t want this “horrible” to be the last of my memories with the “cocks”.