Zidane’s ‘no regrets’ headbutt comments: what he actually said

Zinedine Zidane said he was not proud of his 2006 World Cup final headbutt but had no regrets when he revisited the incident at his October 1 press conference before France’s Nations League meeting with Italy at the Stade de France. The new comments brought the dismissal back into the discussion as he prepared for his first home match as France coach.

“I’m not proud of what I did, I’ve always said that, but at the same time I have no regrets,” Zidane said, in Football Italia’s English translation. Both parts matter to his account: he acknowledged the headbutt while saying he preferred to remember other moments from his career.

What Zidane said about the Materazzi headbutt

Football Italia reported Zidane saying he had seen footage of the incident being replayed. “The images are being replayed everywhere on a loop, I’ve seen them,” he said. That was his description of the coverage; it does not establish how many people watched or shared it.

“It is part of my career,” he continued. “Fortunately, that is not all that I did in my career. There are positive and enjoyable moments, and I prefer to remember those. You can’t just have a career of all great moments.”

Dembélé rejected the revenge narrative

Ousmane Dembélé was asked whether the Italy match represented revenge for his coach. “No, no quiere revancha,” he said, according to AS — “No, he does not want revenge.” Dembélé said Zidane wanted to coach and help the team.

There was a different milestone attached to the occasion: Football Italia described it as Zidane’s first home match since succeeding Didier Deschamps. France had begun with 1–0 away wins over Türkiye and Belgium, making the Italy fixture his return to a home crowd in his new role.

The Stade de France also held a happier World Cup memory for Zidane. AS recalled his two goals against Brazil in the 1998 final and reported that he cited that triumph when discussing his return to the stadium.

What happened in the 2006 World Cup final

The headbutt happened on July 9, 2006, in Berlin, during extra time of Zidane’s final playing appearance. He struck Marco Materazzi in the chest and was sent off. Italy subsequently won the penalty shootout 5–3 after the match finished 1–1 through extra time.

FIFA sanctioned both players on July 20. According to SWI swissinfo.ch’s contemporary report, Zidane received a three-match suspension and a fine of 7,500 Swiss francs. Having retired, he agreed to three days of humanitarian community work with young people.

Materazzi received a two-match national-team suspension and a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs for repeatedly provoking Zidane. SWI reported that both players told FIFA the comments were defamatory but not racist, and that both apologized to FIFA and expressed regret at the incident.

Why “no regrets” is a longstanding position

Zidane had publicly used the same formulation soon after the final. Le Monde reported on July 13, 2006, that he had expressed no regrets in appearances on Canal+ and TF1 the previous day. He also apologized to children and educators and called his action inexcusable.

Those public remarks and the account of the FIFA proceedings describe different settings. Le Monde recorded his explanation in television interviews; SWI reported the disciplinary process. The October comments therefore return to a position he had expressed publicly twenty years earlier.

What Materazzi said earlier this year

Materazzi discussed the incident in a July interview with L’Équipe, relayed by AS on July 8. “No soy ningún santo, pero Zidane tampoco,” he said — “I’m no saint, but neither is Zidane.” Those remarks preceded Zidane’s October press conference.

In that July account, Materazzi said the headbutt had taken him by surprise. He also said a handshake after the final would have been a goodwill gesture that could have ended the matter. His interview provides earlier context, rather than an October response.

France and Italy have met competitively several times since Berlin. The FFF records France’s 3–1 win on September 6, 2006, followed much later by two 3–1 away wins in the 2024 Nations League: Italy won in France in September, and France won in Italy in November.