FIFA World Cup 2006 has ended. So has my life. Of watching, eating, drinking, sleeping and thinking football. I'm despaired. Unconsolable. Shaken. Ok, maybe not so serious. Though I would definitely need more time to adjust my biological clock back to normal, non-WC days.

One more thing that has ended with this World Cup. The international careers of many many fabulous (old) players in the world. All have ended fairly well, except for one. Zinedine Zidane of France. He had wanted to end his career on the highest note by leading France to a second World Cup win but a moment of madness in the final against Italy saw him leave the stage in disgrace. Yes, although Zidane had opened the scoring with a 7th-minute penalty and almost got a second with a flying header which Buffon nimbly flicked away, the world's final memory of him in a France shirt will be of him disappearing down the stadium steps to the dressing room, head bowed, not even casting a glance at the trophy that sat on a plinth nearby.

I was motified and, strangely at the same time, extremely amused, when I saw the video playback where Zidane floored Materazzi with a butt to the chest. And I was equally tickled as Italian players such as Buffon and Cannavaro started protesting to the officials and French players about Zidane's ruly, or should I say, bizarre, act. And not a French fan, naturally I'd applauded the referee, Horacio Elizondo's decision to send Zidane off the field.

Zidane's red card was anything but unusual. He was sent off 14 times in his career at the club and international level. Hmm seems like a vicious temper lies behind the genius. But I think he has something for head-butting opponents. Five years ago with Juventus, he head-butted an opponent in a Champions League match against Hamburger SV after being tackled from behind. What's up with the head.

A report on Brazilian television channel Globo stated that Zidane's assault on Materazzi was provoked by a "very serious" comment made by the Italian defender, according to the French playmaker's agent. Apparently, Zidane told his agent that Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell him what, though he will talk about it in the next couple of days.

Although neither player has yet revealed the nature of their disagreement, Fantastico, a programme on Globo, employed lip-reading experts who said footage of the incident showed the Italian twice insulted Zidane's sister as a prostitute, before then using a "coarse word" at the French player. More reliable reports, however, revealed that Materazzi had called him a "dirty terrorist", an insult based on French-born Zidane's Algerian heritage.

But I felt that no matter what mean words were exchanged between both players, a professional player should not have hit anyone on the field at all. Obviously something blew in Zidane that night and he lost it. And by that, I meant that he lost his perfect departure from the international scene as well.

Neither I do not feel that Zidane's red card weakened French chances of repeating their 1998 victory. Even after Zidane's dismissal in the second period of extra time, France's remaining 10 men still had plenty of chances to break through but they missed all the chances. They would regret it later as the Italians triumphed in the penalty shootout where Zidane's absence probably did make a difference.

But if any proof of Zidane's enduring popularity were needed, he was voted the best player of the World Cup by journalists who had covered the tournament and awarded the adidas Golden Ball, which is arguably the greatest trophy available to an individual footballer. Italians Fabio Cannavaro *drool* and Andrea Pirlo were Silver and Bronze Ball winners respectively. What a pity because, looks aside, I did think that Cannavaro was excellent this World Cup. However, perhaps being the captain of the FIFA World Cup winner team is already a fantastic reward. :-)

.: Go here to see who are the winners for the AWARDS FROM THE 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY :.

As for Italy, I'm glad that they are world champions for the fourth time after beating ten-man France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday, 9 July 2006. Twelve years after losing to Brazil in the first shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup Final, Italy made up for that heartbreak as all five men in blue converted their kicks to claim world football's greatest prize for the first time since 1982, and the country's 4th World Cup title. And it was Italy's first successful shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup after previous failures in 1990, 1994 and 1998.

Strangely, everything exciting that happenned in this match more or less centered around Materazzi. Really. At the opening 6th minute, Materazzi was adjudged to have illegally halted the progress of Malouda as he hurtled into the box and a penalty was given, which was taken by Zidane. Who was damn lucky. Somehow I didn't see that kick as skills of any sort. The ball rebounded off the underside of the bar and dropped down no more than a foot over the line, giving France an early lead into the match. A similar act was performed by Trezeguet later on in the penalty shoot-out. Who simply wasn't as lucky. His ball rebounded off the underside of the bar and dropped down no more than a foot before the line, rendering him as the only player to miss his penalty kick in the shootout.

At the 9th minute, Materazzi, perhaps unsettled by his role in the French goal, came perilously close to doubling France's goals - and his own misery - when he glanced a Willy Sagnol cross into the side-netting with Buffon scrambling frantically across his line. Luckily there was no own goal. *phew* Yet at the 19th minute, Italy hauled themselves level thanks to a potent combination of Pirlo’s dead-ball mastery and the aerial ability of Materazzi, as the latter gained spectacular redemption for his earlier blunder by towering above the French defence to bullet the former’s corner past Barthez. Then at the 111th minute, a trifle between Zidane and him had Zidane being sent off the field! This Materazzi guy's really something haha.

In conclusion, FIFA World Cup 2006 has been a much more exciting one than 2002, though I've enjoyed both immensely. UEFA Euro 2008 will be held in Austria and Switzerland, and of course, World Cup 2010 in South Africa, I believe. :-) Meanwhile, time to get on with our lives without futebol.

¶ 1:32 PM