Zinedine Zidane’s Panenka Moment in 2006 World Cup Final Alongside Crazy Marco Materazzi Incident

• Zinedine Zidane led a career defined by extreme highs and lows before retiring in 2006
• Zidane was part of the France squad that won the World Cup in 1998 and losing finalists in 2006
• His headbutt on Marco Materazzi has dominated headlines since but his panenka penalty was world-class

There is no denying that Zinedine Zidane was one of the most sought-after midfielders of his generation. The France star took to the field with much poise and grace, winning a number of trophies in a career that lasted close to fifteen years.

His exit from the game might have been acrimonious following his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, but his legacy in football will be retold to future generations.

He also carried the same superiority to his managerial game, winning three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid.

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For his headbutt on Materazzi, Zidane received a straight red card marking the end of his glorious career. To make matters worse, France went on to lose on post-match penalties, having been forced to play with a man less following Zidane's dismissal in the 110th minute.

Zidane's moments in the French team

Prior to the final, Zidane had endured some uncertainties with the French team, but his explosive outburst on Materazzi in Berlin birthed the most iconic moment of World Cup history.

Zidane had been in and out of the team following their 1998 success. He had actually retired from international duty in 2004 but was convinced to return to save face of a fumbling Raymond Domenech side.

Les Blues were on the brink of missing out on the World Cup entirely, but Zidanes's return alongside the likes of Claude Makelele, William Sagnol and Thierry Henry helped them over the finishing line.

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The 1998 champions did not inspire much going to the World Cup and they drew their first two games against Switzerland and South Korea. Even worse, Zidane picked up two yellow cards and was suspended for their final group clash against Togo.

Luckily, they laboured to a 2-0 win setting up a round of 16 clash against Spain. Zidane scored in the last minute of the game to make the score 3-1. It was then that other countries started to take cognizance of France.

Zidane vs Brazil

A quarterfinal clash against Brazil saw one of the most remarkable performances in World Cup history as Zidane frogmarched the Samba Boys from the first minute to the last minute.

Henry scored the only goal of the game, with Zidane scoring the goal against Portugal in the semifinals. The France squad had the opportunity to make it two World Cup wins in 8 years.

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Zidane once again produced another magical moment when he scored a panenka penalty in the 7th minute. It requires lots of confidence for one to try a panenka in such a vital game. The ball hit the upright before crossing the line.

Materazzi, however, restored parity before the two goalscorers were involved in a tiff in extra time that brought the curtains down on Zidane's career.

Materazzi speaks on the Zidane incident

Sports Brief reported that Materazzi opened up on what transpired between the two before he received that vicious headbutt from Zidane.

“Trash talking, my trash talking was nothing. He offered me his jersey, and I said no, I prefer his sister,” he said on IFTV Podcast, bursting into a bit laugh afterwards.

Zidane has in the past stated that he would rather die than apologise to Materazzi.