About 14 years after the historical incident, former
French national defender Willie Sanyol revealed the
“bitter impact” that the famous “Zidane” bunt left in the
2006 World Cup final, and his relationship with the best
player in the world previously.
Sanyol, who was the main right back for France during
the 2006 World Cup, spoke about his condition after
Zidane beat the Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the
final match, causing his expulsion and contributing to
the loss of the “roosters” World Cup title.
The French defender confirmed that he “felt very angry
with Zidane”, after France lost a penalty shootout against
Italy in the Berlin Final.
“When I entered the changing room, there was a man
talking and constantly apologizing (Zidane), but you are not listening to him. You are in a deep frustration.
In your own world,” Sanyol told French radio
Monte Carlo.
He added: “I did not accept his apology and did not even
want to talk to him. I had to go to the bathroom and
smoke 250 cigarettes in 10 minutes.
This is how I escaped from reality.”
Sanyol, a former Bayern Munich defender, indicated that
he had not spoken to the French soccer legend for two
years after, before they reconciled in 2008.
And he continued, “I decided to invite him to my
wedding in 2008, and I felt happy seeing him.
We had a good discussion and life returned to normal
after that.”
The “Zidane” batch is one of the most famous shots in
the history of the World Cup, and came in the 110th
minute of extra time for the final after Materazzi
provoked his opponent with a few words, which forced
the French star to bump him in the chest and drop him to
the ground.
