THE FUSE

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Former Italy defender Marco Materazzi, interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport on the day of Italy-France, revisits the famous incident in which Zinedine Zidane headbutted him during the 2006 World Cup final.

Materazzi's interview covered Zidane's headbutt, their meeting in Milan and the prospect of a public reconciliation.

Zinedine Zidane said a few days ago: "I'm not proud of the headbutt I gave Materazzi, but I have no regrets."

If the roles were reversed, would you say the same thing today?

"Today I'd say what I would have said that evening twenty years ago, or the next day: 'I was wrong, but I was provoked. Judge for yourselves what happened; I apologise.' He would have come across as a real gentleman and Materazzi as the 'usual idiot', the one who had wound him up in his own way. He would have come out of it better, but everyone sees things differently. The matter would certainly have ended there."

Instead, people are still talking about it.

"And that could have been avoided, because I wasn't the first or the last to hold back an opponent to stop him scoring. In fact, if I were a manager and had a defender who cleverly stopped the player facing him from jumping, I'd shake his hand."

Is Zidane still carrying a burden?

"Well, I don't think so. It's being discussed again because Italy are playing France, but given the managerial career he's had, I think he's put it behind him."

Watching it again, that incident seems to bother Zidane more than Materazzi, doesn't it?

"Well, not really. The death of Jesùs de Miguel made me thank God that nothing had happened. There's talk of involuntary manslaughter in that goalkeeper's case over an incident during play: what if it had happened to me?"

In twenty years, you two have never cleared the air. That's remarkable.

"We had the opportunity, as everyone knows. November 2010, the Melia hotel in Milan, the eve of Milan-Real: I'm leaving the hotel after saying goodbye to Mourinho, and he's parking his car at the back. When he sees me, he's a little hesitant and even turns to go back, but I approach him and shake his hand: 'I'm glad we're meeting here, where nobody can see us.' He replies: 'Don't worry. These things happen; it's in the past.' It's a shame he later denied it all, saying he thought I was a fan."

Why does Zidane keep rejecting the idea of an 'official' reconciliation?

"I've never had a problem with it. Perhaps his exit was too dramatic for him to go back on it. Although 'dramatic' isn't the right word: it wasn't my first provocation, but it wasn't his first headbutt either. And that has always been pointed out far too rarely."