France captain Zidane Zidane was in tears after his glorious career ended with a World Cup final red card for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest in the second period of extra-time with the score level at 1-1.
The 34-year-old playmaker, who appeared to react to something said by former Everton centre-back Materazzi less than ten minutes from the end of extra-time in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, can have no complaints about Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo's decision in his final game.
Fifa has insisted that video replays played no part in Zidane's sending-off in the off-the-ball incident and Les Bleus boss Raymond Domenech, who saw his men lose 5-3 on penalties, said: "It's sad to have a great player leaving the pitch in that way, getting sent-off. He has played a great World Cup. He has been ever-present.
"I would have preferred to have taken him off myself but I did not expect it to end that way. We are all sad that a player like Zinedine has been sent-off.
"I don't know what Materazzi said. All I know is that the man-of-the-match was not (Andrea) Pirlo but Materazzi. He scored the equaliser and had Zidane sent-off. He really put on a great show when he fell down."
Zidane had given France the lead from the penalty spot seven minutes into the 18th World Cup final after Materazzi had tripped Florent Malouda, but the Azzurri defender restored parity 12 minutes later heading home Andrea Pirlo's inviting corner - with no further goals a penalty shoot-out was needed.
This is not the first time Zidane's temper has blown on the pitch - he was sent off in the 1998 World Cup for stamping on a Saudi Arabia player and, as a Juventus player, he was once banned for five Champions League games when he head-butted an opponent.
Zidane's former World Cup-winning team-mate Frank Leboeuf is at a loss to explain what made the France captain commit his shameful World Cup final head-butt.
Former Chelsea defender Leboeuf said: "I cannot accept what he did. I think Materazzi said something very bad to him for him to react like that.
"But it doesn't matter what he said - you cannot agree with what he did. I feel very ashamed - because it is not the kind of thing that this team does."
Zidane will never have the chance to redeem himself, because the final against Italy was his last match before retirement - and that makes the incident even more regrettable for Leboeuf.
He added: "He has been such a great footballer and a wonderful human being ... I don't understand what happened. He has a hot temper; he can react, as we have seen two or three times in his career.
"He is a very shy person, a quiet guy - not the kind of guy to show the image he did yesterday. He should have been focused on the real target - the World Cup. To go out like that, end his great career like that, is a pity."
Despite France's failure to win the World Cup for the second time in eight years striker David Trezeguet, who missed his spot-kick in the shootout, was determined to remain philosophical.
Trezeguet said: "It's true that I know Buffon very well. But I didn't change my style of striking the ball because of that. I didn't think I hit the ball badly.
"I think it's important that one takes responsibility for his acts and I walk with my head held high. We have to accept defeat, look ahead, this is part of football."
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