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#3 Zinedine Zidane
One of the greatest players ever to grace the football field, Zidane had done it all. Ballon d'Or, World Cup, Euro, Champions League. He had won it all already.
As the 2006 World Cup rolled around, France struggled in qualification, making Deschamps plead retired stars to come back out of retirement for the world cup. Zidane stepped up to the plate and came back to lead the French line-up at the World Cup.
France stormed to the finals on the back of Zidane's control in the middle of the park. Italy was the final hurdle that Zidane had to cross to have a fairytale ending of a career.
The match exploded right off the bat. Both sides had scored within the first 20 minutes. Zidane scored a cheeky Panenka, while Materazzi equalized with 20 minutes on the clock. Both sides had quite a few opportunities to win the match but failed to capitalize on them. As the clock hit the 90-minute mark, the score remained at 1-1 and extra time followed.
This was when the game's turning point came. Materazzi and Zidane were jogging upfield when the Italian said something to the Frenchman that really hit a nerve. He turned around and headbutted him straight in his chest, knocking him to the ground. The referee ran over and gave Zidane his marching orders.
The match then went to penalties and Italy were crowned champions. The sight of a dejected Zidane walking past the World Cup trophy marked a disappointing end to a glorious international career.
See France's world cup dreams shatter down below.
