\n<\/p>\n
Zinedine Zidane<\/strong>\u00a0put a new meaning on header<\/em>\u00a0in the last game of his international career.<\/p>\n In 2006, the French soccer\u00a0player\u2014affectionally referred to as \u201cZizou\u201d and widely considered one of the best to ever step foot onto a pitch\u2014had a second FIFA World Cup<\/a> win within his when a split-second changed everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n The midfielder was in the 109th minute of the Berlin-set final against Italy, having given his team an edge early on, when he and opposing defender Marco Materazzi<\/strong>\u00a0exchanged what appeared to be light-hearted words. Without warning, however, Zidane spun on his heel and delivered a headbutt to Materazzi\u2019s chest that sent the taller man sprawling.<\/p>\n Though the interaction initially seemed lost to the chaos of the pitch (the ball had continued up-field), official Luis Medina Cantalejo <\/strong>confirmed to head referee Horacio Elizondo <\/strong>that he\u2019d seen the headbutt occur with his own eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Left with no other choice, Elizondo issue a red card and Zidane\u2014who had confirmed he\u2019d be retiring from the sport at the end of the year\u2014was ejected from the game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n