Zidane's Headbutt

In the 110th minute of the 2006 World Cup final, with France and Italy level at 1–1 in extra time, Zinedine Zidane and Italy's Marco Materazzi jogged up the pitch together, exchanging words. Materazzi tugged at Zidane's shirt. Zidane turned, planted his feet, and drove his head into Materazzi's chest, sending him to the ground. Referee Horacio Elizondo, alerted by his fourth official after review, showed Zidane a straight red card — the last action of Zidane's playing career.

The provocation became almost as famous as the headbutt itself. Materazzi always denied insulting Zidane's mother, as was widely assumed at the time, and later won a libel case over the claim; both players eventually indicated the comment concerned Zidane's sister instead. Whatever was said, France went on to lose the final 5–3 on penalties, with Zidane already gone from the pitch. He was still awarded the tournament's Golden Ball as its best player, an almost unheard-of honor for a man sent off in the final.

Nearly two decades on, it remains one of the most replayed moments in the sport's history — not for tactical or legal consequence, but as the purest example of a genuinely great player's own discipline failing him at the exact moment it mattered most, on the biggest stage the game has.