Zinedine Zidane, unquestionably the player of his generation - a generation that includes such famous names as Gabriel Batistuta, Dennis Bergkamp, Cafu, Luis Figo, Paolo Maldini, Pavel Nedved, Robert Pires, Raul, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Francesco Totti, and Juan Sebastian Veron - went into his much-anticipated retirement ten minutes early in a moment of absolute madness.
A disgraceful reaction befitting a hot-tempered teenage gangster to Marco Materazzi's jibes, rather than a professional footballer, a seasoned veteran, hope of a nation, and role models to millions of aspiring children worldwide.
That anybody on the planet can even attempt to defend or justify his amateurish action and childish outburst is bewildering. Last I heard, France was a civilized country where such behaviour on the streets would not be tolerated. Yet there are barbarians who praise this Frenchman for "standing up for himself" and "defending his people's honours", while regarding victory and defeat (on football's biggest stage, no less) with disdain.
The French master, whose performances at times can only be described as majestic, may have won the Golden Ball as the tourney's top player, having carried France through the knockout stages with sublime displays that turned back the clock, but the enduring image of this footballing genius will always be that of his shaven, balding head being thrust into Materazzi's chest.
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