mordant wit

Zinedine Zidane was provoked into butting Marco Materazzi during the World Cup 2006 final by a "very serious" comment, according to his agent.

Zidane appeared to react to something that was said and was dismissed for his violent charge into his opponent. "He told me Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell me what," agent Alain Migliaccio told BBC Five Live Sport.

Migliaccio, who spoke to Zidane at 2am on Monday, added that Zidane did not elaborate on what Materazzi said. "I don't know. Zinedine didn't want to talk about it but it will all come out in the next week," he said. "He is a man who normally lets things wash over him but on Sunday night something exploded inside him. He was very disappointed and sad. He didn't want it to end this way."

Neither Materazzi nor Zidane have spoken publicly since the final in Germany. According to French newspaper L'Equipe, Materazzi goaded the Algerian-French Zidane by calling him "a terrorist".

Other reports have claimed that the former Everton defender told the France captain that he should "play for your own country".




But still this guy wins the Golden Ball. A truly well deserved accolade, I personally feel that he was single handedly responsible for the revival of the French team in this World Cup.