Continue Reading on TOI App
Open
OPEN APP

Zidane regrets headbutting Materazzi in 2006 World Cup final

Mumbai, Jun 10 () Ten years after his infamous headbutt on Italia... Read More
Mumbai, Jun 10 () Ten years after his infamous headbutt on Italian defender

Marco Materazzi

which earned him a red-card, retired

France

football great Zinedine Zidane today expressed regret over the incident in the 2006 World Cup final.
"I am not proud of what happened in 2006. I am not advising anyone (player) to behave in the same manner," said the 43-year-old

Zidane

to a query at the fag end of a press meet here.
The final was the French football legend's last ever appearance as a player.
Zidane, who guided France to its first-ever World Cup title in 1998 with two goals in the summit clash against

Brazil

, is on his first ever visit to India with his wife

Veronique

as "wellness ambassador" of "

Kanakia Paris

", which is a French-themed residential project coming up in the Bandra-Kurla Complex.
The three-time

FIFA

player of the year was answering a query on what advice he gives to the players of famous Spanish club

Real Madrid

as the manager when confronted with a similar situation.
"I tell them you have to control yourself as provocation will always be there (from rival players). But it's part of life to make mistakes, but you have to learn from your mistakes," said Zidane, who guided Real Madrid to the UEFA Champions League crown this year on his debut as the club's manager.
Zidane, among the greatest footballers in the history of the "Beautiful Game", said winning the Champions League as manager of Real Madrid gave him a "huge satisfaction" while as a player it was "wonderful" to win it (in 2002).
"Training all the team (members) is amazing," he quipped when asked to compare the two achievements. Asked what mantra did he use to motivate the players of Real Madrid when he took over as its manager, Zidane said, "I used my experience as a player, told them to work extra hard and to work on relationship with other players in the squad." (More) SSR NP PDS PDS

Start a Conversation

Post comment
Continue Reading
Follow Us On Social Media
end of article
More Trending Stories
Visual Stories
More Visual Stories
UP NEXT
Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information