Zidane says 'no regrets' over World Cup headbutt as France prepare to meet Italy

Ahead of France's Nations League game against Italy on Friday, France football boss Zinedine Zidane insisted he had no regrets about headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final – although added that he was not proud of his actions. Issued on: 02/10/2026 - 13:09 2 min Reading time "The images always remind me of it," said Zidane, as France prepared to take on Italy at the Stade de France in their third match of the 2027 Nations League. "They’re shown over and over again. But luckily that’s not all I ever did and there are other images that are nicer.” Zidane, then the France skipper, was sent off and France lost the ensuing penalty shoot-out. “They're not regrets," added the 54-year-old. "It’s part of my career. I’m not proud of what happened, but you can’t always do just good things. We’re all on a journey in life, where you do things that aren’t the best. But now it’s about what comes next.” Zidane took over as France head coach in July from Didier Deschamps. He has since steered France to 1-0 victories in Turkey and Belgium in League A Group 1. His first home game as France coach comes at the arena where his two goals in the 1998 World Cup final propelled France to a 3-0 victory over Brazil and their first World Cup trophy. France legend Zidane succeeds Deschamps as boss of Les Bleus 'Squabbles on social media' Zidane's World Cup final feats, alongside his performances for his club Juventus, led to him winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or. Nearly three decades later, five of Zidane's squad – Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano – have been nominated for the 2026 award, to be presented in London on 26 October. On the eve of the Italy match, Dembélé – who won the prize in 2025 – dismissed rumours that he and Mbappé had fallen out over who would win football's most prestigious individual award. "There are no problems between us," said the Paris Saint-Germain striker. "I don’t comment on little squabbles on social media. At 29 years old, I’m not really thinking about that.” Mbappé will miss the Italy game due to the knee injury he sustained when scoring against Turkey in Izmit on 25 September. His absence means Dembélé will skipper the side from the beginning of a match for the first time. "It's an honour to be captain," he said. "When Kylian's there, we’re absolutely delighted. He’s the captain and he is an important player for the national team. He has shown that over the years. He has scored a huge number of goals. That said, there are other players who can step up. It’s a team. All 23 players are important."