10 Best Ever Football Insults
1. Marco Materazzi On Zinedine Zidane...'s Sister
Less the insult heard round the world, more the insult which caused the moment seen round the world. Marco Materazzi's jibe to Zinedine Zidane may not subjectively be the best taunt, but it is by far the one with the greatest impact.
There were ten minutes remaining of extra time in the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy with the score tied at 1-1 when the French captain head-butted the Italian defender in the chest after the two exchanged words; Zidane was immediately sent off and Italy would do on to win the tournament on penalties.
Speculation was rife in the immediate aftermath as to what Materazzi could have possibly said to get such a reaction from Zizou in his final game as a professional footballer. Some suggested the Italian had made racist remarks but it emerged that abuse directed at Zidane's sister was what caused the shocking incident.
According to reports, ZZ offered to give MM his shirt after the Italian repeatedly grabbed at it, to which the Italian replied "Preferisco la puttana di tua sorella" which roughly translates to:
"I prefer the whore that is your sister."
Zidane saw red, head-butted Materazzi, and saw red again as he was sent off by the referee in the World Cup final. In the immortal words of John Motson, "Zidane's career ends in disgrace!"