{
  "id": 11245758,
  "title": "Zidane 'no regrets' about Materazzi headbutt as France face Italy again",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/zidane-no-regrets-about-materazzi-headbutt-as-france-face-italy-again",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T17:34:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/zidane-no-regrets-materazzi-headbutt-173449737.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "France coach Zinedine Zidane has expressed no regrets about his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final as he prepares to face Italy again in his first home game as a coach. The images of the incident will always be a reminder, as they are constantly shown, according to Zidane. However, he emphasized that there were other positive moments in his career and that he tries to focus on them. Zidane stated that he has not spoken to Materazzi since the event, which occurred in the final where Italy won on penalties. The 54-year-old Frenchman was appointed coach of Les Bleus in late July, following Didier Deschamps, who resigned after 14 years in charge. Zidane's first two matches in charge were victories against Turkey and Belgium, both in the UEFA Nations League. The upcoming match against Italy on Friday will be a significant homecoming for the coach, who remains an icon in France. Ousmane Dembele, France's forward, confirmed there is no tension between him and fellow forward Kylian Mbappe, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury. Both players have dismissed the media speculation surrounding their relationship as a \"social media squabble.\"",
  "summary": "New France coach Zinedine Zidane insisted Thursday he has no regrets about his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final as he prepares to come up against Italy again in his first home game in charge.\"I don't have regrets because it was part of my career,\" he continued, adding that he had not spoken to Materazzi since that night in Berlin, in a final which Italy won on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Michael Kayode is the face of a multiethnic revitalization of Italy’s struggling national team",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/michael-kayode-is-the-face-of-a-multiethnic-revitalization-of-italys",
        "published": "2026-10-01T10:30:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}