The 2006 World Cup: Italy's Berlin Win and Zidane's Headbutt

The 2006 World Cup: a brief history

The 2006 World Cup was the eighteenth edition of the FIFA tournament, held in Germany between 9 June and 9 July 2006. Italy beat France 5-3 on penalties at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on 9 July 2006 (after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes) to win the country''s fourth World Cup. The final has been most-remembered for Zinedine Zidane''s 110th-minute red card for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest, the closing image of the great French midfielder''s career, in his last professional match.

The host context: a German summer fairy tale

FIFA awarded the 2006 World Cup to Germany in 2000, ahead of competing bids from South Africa, Brazil, Morocco and England. The decision had been politically charged: South Africa had been the strong continental favourite to take Africa''s first World Cup, and a controversial New Zealand vote produced a one-vote German win. The 2010 tournament was awarded to South Africa partly in compensation.

The host nation''s organisation produced one of the most-celebrated single tournament atmospheres in World Cup history. The phrase "Sommermärchen" (summer fairy tale) entered the German vocabulary as a description of the four-week period; previously cautious public displays of national flag-flying became widespread. The Germany team, coached by Jürgen Klinsmann (the 1990 World Cup-winning forward in his first major coaching role) and assistant Joachim Löw, played open attacking football and reached the third-place playoff.

The group stage and Cristiano Ronaldo''s emergence

The 2006 group stage produced few major upsets but several long-running storylines. Argentina won Group C ahead of the Netherlands, Côte d''Ivoire and Serbia and Montenegro; the 6-0 thrashing of Serbia and Montenegro at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen included a 24-pass team move ending in a Esteban Cambiasso goal that has been replayed in countless retrospectives.

Cristiano Ronaldo, then a 21-year-old at Manchester United, played at his second World Cup with Portugal and scored twice across the tournament. The most-celebrated single moment of his campaign came in the quarter-final against England at the Veltins-Arena on 1 July 2006: Wayne Rooney was sent off after stamping on Ricardo Carvalho, and Ronaldo''s wink towards the Portugal bench afterwards has been replayed in countless retrospectives. England lost the match on penalties (1-1, 3-1 Portugal). Ronaldo''s emergence at this tournament marked the start of his decade-long competition with Lionel Messi for the title of best player in the world.

Australia returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1974 under Guus Hiddink (the 2002 South Korea coach now leading the Socceroos). The squad included Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill, and reached the round of 16 before losing 1-0 to Italy through a Francesco Totti stoppage-time penalty.

Argentina-Mexico and the Maxi Rodriguez goal

The round of 16 produced one of the most-celebrated single goals of the modern era. Maxi Rodríguez, the Argentine winger, scored a left-foot volley in the 98th minute of extra time against Mexico at the Zentralstadion in Leipzig on 24 June 2006. The goal, a swinging Juan Pablo Sorín cross controlled with the chest, swivel, half-volley with the weaker left foot from 25 yards, has been the principal image of Maxi Rodríguez''s long international career.

Other knockout-stage moments: Italy''s 3-0 win over Ukraine in the quarter-final, France''s 1-0 win over Brazil with a Zidane-led midfield (Brazil''s 2002 trophy-winning generation in the closing match of their international careers), and Germany''s 4-2 quarter-final win over Argentina (the match settled on penalties after a 1-1 draw, with German captain Michael Ballack and goalkeeper Jens Lehmann starring).

The semi-finals

The semi-finals on 4 and 5 July 2006 produced an Italian win over Germany (2-0 after extra time, with Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero scoring in the 119th and 120th-minute extra time) and a French win over Portugal (1-0, with Zidane converting a 33rd-minute penalty).

The Italian-German semi-final at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund was particularly significant for the host nation. Germany had been undefeated through the tournament; Grosso''s 119th-minute strike on the German bar, then Del Piero''s 120th-minute breakaway, ended the home dream within seconds of each other. The match has been described as one of the most dramatic semi-finals in World Cup history.

The final and the Zidane headbutt

The final, played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on 9 July 2006 in front of 69,000 spectators, ended 1-1 after extra time. Zidane converted a 7th-minute "Panenka" penalty for France that struck the underside of the bar and bounced down behind goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (the goal-line decision was made without question; goal-line technology was not yet in use). Marco Materazzi equalised for Italy in the 19th minute with a header from a corner. The match was settled at 1-1 through 90 minutes and into extra time.

The 110th-minute red card has been replayed in football media more than any other moment of the modern era. Zidane and Materazzi had exchanged words moments earlier; the Italian defender''s comment (Materazzi has subsequently confirmed it was an insult about Zidane''s sister) provoked the French captain to turn around and headbutt Materazzi in the chest. Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo consulted with the fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo and produced the red card. Zidane walked off the pitch past the World Cup trophy on his way to the dressing room.

The penalty shootout produced misses from David Trezeguet (whose effort struck the underside of the bar and stayed out, the inverse of his 2000 European Championship final golden goal). Italy''s five takers all converted: Andrea Pirlo, Materazzi, Daniele De Rossi, Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Grosso. Italy won 5-3 on penalties.

Lasting figures

Zinedine Zidane retired from professional football after the 2006 final. He had won Euro 2000, the 1998 World Cup, the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002, and three FIFA World Player of the Year awards across his career. The 2006 final headbutt was the closing moment. He went into a senior coaching career at Real Madrid (three Champions Leagues 2016-2018) and is regarded as one of the great players of the modern era.

Marcello Lippi, the Italian head coach, won the trophy with a side that had been substantially affected by the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal that had been unfolding in Italian club football. The squad included captain Fabio Cannavaro (named Ballon d''Or winner later in 2006), Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon. Lippi went on to a senior coaching career in China.

Miroslav Klose won the 2006 Golden Boot with five goals across the tournament. The German forward would go on to break Ronaldo''s all-time World Cup scoring record at the 2014 finals, finishing his international career with 16 World Cup goals across four tournaments, the all-time record.

Cristiano Ronaldo''s emergence at the 2006 finals marked the start of his decade-long competition with Lionel Messi. The two have between them won the Ballon d''Or 13 times since 2007 and have shaped the post-Zidane era of world football.

Zinedine Zidane's final and the headbutt controversy

Zinedine Zidane's return to international football for the 2006 final was unexpected. He had retired in 2004 but was coaxed back for the tournament. His performances, though good in the knockout stages, were most remembered for his headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute of the final. The incident, which resulted in a red card and a three-match ban for Zidane, overshadowed France's penalty loss. Zidane's reaction to what he described as racist abuse from Materazzi remains one of the most-discussed moments in World Cup history.

Italy's victory, sealed by a penalty shootout, established the nation as a defensive fortress. Gianluigi Buffon's goalkeeping was exceptional throughout the tournament, and the Italian team's tactical discipline under coach Marcello Lippi produced a second World Cup for the nation (their third overall, if the 1934 and 1938 trophies are counted).

Maradona's injury and modern medicine in football

Ronaldinho's performances in the 2006 tournament represented the peak of his international career. His left-footed technique, creativity and flair made him one of the outstanding attacking midfielders of the era. Brazil's early elimination (quarter-finals, losing to France) represented a disappointment for the highly talented squad.

Reading on

For more on Italy''s broader World Cup record, see our long-read on Italy at the World Cup. The World Cup history hub covers every tournament from 1930 to 2026.