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"I can not say that I am proud of what I have done, but I do not regret it because if I did it, it would be like validating all the words that that person gave me. said, and I can not accept this. "
Zinedine Zidane
July 9, 2006. Olympiastadion Berlin. Final of the World Cup. Italy vs France. Around 22:20 local time. Zinedine Zidane. Marco Materazzi. Something something of your sister. Hang in there for the impact. Ooooof.
But what impact it was. What oof.
If there were any questions about Zidane's willingness to take his last match at the international level, the pre-game team's photo dispelled them. Ball in the right hand, left hand at his side, one foot from his closest teammate, all this was around him and he was ready for it to be so.
To be fair, even if the swan song was not on the agenda, it would still have been all for Zidane. It had been for the last sixteen days, with his exhibition against Brazil, which always resulted in the greatest individual performance I have seen of this century. Enjoy it here.
So, after this masterpiece, what could Zizou do to attract attention now? Well, what about Panenkering, the greatest goalkeeper of the same century? Yes why not. Completed.
But a problem: Marco Materazzi, a pesky fabled researcher who had already inflicted the penalty that allowed Zidane to go to Panenka Gianluigi Buffon and who nearly scored a goal with a defensive head, brought the Italians up to speed with a best timed header.
So the Panenka was insufficient. A bigger myth had to be written. And Zidane is set to write it. He tried free kicks like the one who beat Brazil in the quarter-finals, he tried heads similar to those who had beaten them in 1998, heck, he even tried to beat Buffon from a corner – all this in vain.
Which meant extra time. Which meant that time was running out. Which meant the nerves … But Zidane does not get nervous? So, that meant anger. Yes, Zidane knew anger. He knew it very well, actually. He knew it over race problems in his own country and on the football field. Surprise, surprise, the most prominent player who deserved a football pitch could lose his cool
Only this time, it happened in the best possible way.
This dichotomy is at the heart of this most glorious, shameful – certainly the most famous – impulse – because, as you can imagine, such an act on such a scene is not a totally unifying enterprise.
So, what about this act.
Well, technically, it was superb. Before arriving at the impact – and we will – what about the recognition of the scene in cinematic terms? Because, let's be realistic, even if it was not initially detected by the cameras, the blocking of Stanley Kubrick would be proud of it.
From the constant conversation of Materazzi to the initial indifference of Zidane, going through the jog, the last verbal dagger of the Italian, the burst of burning rage, the stoop, the striking, c & # 39; It's perfect.
And so to say viper strike. Said ram of the GOAT of his generation. The first thing that strikes you in the morning is to see how much stop is always relevant, because it is an incredible show, carved from a Bygone era of sport.
And it's the sudden stop of the jog, followed by the immediate stop and the push of the fists – glbad breaking style – for maximum effect. Indeed, this impact is so touching that the French himself stumbles in the immediate, in what we now recognize as a form of concussion symptom.
Then, in a vertigo, he left. His chances of seeing a second World Cup disappear and bring his name to this year's Golden Ball, and with that, we will find out later, his football career
For a time, France has found itself alongside the rest of the world, with the exception of Italy, in shocked silence. But, at the beginning of the azzurries celebrations, the resistance also evolved. Fans gather around their desperate hero, the story of a valuable revenge is traced, and redemption is found.
Before the end of the evening, "Zizou On T" likes to be coated on the Arc de Triomphe and, as soon as the team returned to France, welcoming crowds were heard.
Seizing this in a speech delivered to the nation during this reception, President Jacques Chirac said: "My dear Zinedine Zidane, I would like to express the admiration and affection of our entire nation, as well as its respect . "
Of course, forgiveness was not universally offered, but many were appalled, including Raymond Domenech, the French coach, and Arsene Wenger, who, returning to the moment presented in the excellent documentary "Les Bleus: Another story from France ", admitted:" I was absolutely and completely confused.
"A player of his stature is playing his last game, just when he is supposed to keep his cool, by committing this act of betrayal towards the rest of the team." He was insulted, agreeing But it was not the first time insulted at every game, he 's so ridiculed that he insulted her hundreds of times.
"The Italians knew him, he knew what to expect from them."
Veteran teammates like Lilian Thuram were also unhappy, especially the reaction that justified him.
For many others, however, it was a moment of madness to tell that laid the foundation for an unprecedented French career.
Among these was the actor Omar Sy, who had meditated: "To be honest, I liked the whim, that showed that he was human. was not a robot.He was human and he had his own character and flaws.I found him touching. "
On reflection, was he right to do it? Was it poetic? Of course. Was he legitimately exonerated? Absolutely.
And it's probably Thomas N & # 39; Gijol, a colleague of Sy. whose quote resonates the most today.
"For Zinedine, the kid from Marseille, such an exit was sad," he said.
"But it was beautiful."
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