What Happened to Zidane?

This is the question everyone is asking since watching Zidane head-but Materazzi. The media was quick to brand Zidane as a hot-head, which he sometimes is. But they didn’t show the complete picture of the incident on TV. To the naïve, Materazzi may look like an innocent boy but that perception belies the facts.

The intent of this writing is not to exonerate Zidane, but to present a complete picture that the media, in general, failed to show.

The Spanish channel Univision was more fair in its coverage. They showed Materazzi approach Zidane from behind, pinch his nipple, utter obscenities and as Zidane walks past him Materazzi continues sledging. The key incident here was the nipple-pinch which most of broadcasters decided to leave out.

Now another important question that needs to be answered is that why did Materazzi provoke Zidane by first pinching his nipple and then uttering obscenities? Was it a random act of players sledging at each other or was it a set piece?

Towards the end of the first half in over time, Zidane blasted a header towards the goalpost which Buffon (Italian goalkeeper) miraculously saved. Buffon looked ashen after that when cameras showed him shaking his head. The other Italian players and coaching staff were alarmed too.

It was then that Materazzi decided to be the “rise to the occasion” by nipple pinching and sledging. 2 minutes and 36 seconds into the 2nd half (of overtime) he succeeded by provoking Zidane into a head-butt.

One can not condone Zidane’s act, but one can’t overlook Materazzi’s behavior either.

I wonder what Materazzi will do next time he is up against a player his team can’t beat. Will he pinch that player in the groin to elicit a response? If Zidane deserved the red card, then so did Materazzi for his shameful acts.

In the end, Zidane should’ve known better not to react to Materazzi. But his temper got the better of him and he had to bear the consequences. Despite the tragic end to his career, he’ll go down in the annals of football history as one of the greatest players of all times along with Pele and Maradonna. His class was unmatched even at the twilight of his career.