The man who lead France to World Cup glory in 1998 became his nation's antihero eight years later. Before the tie, Zinedine Zidane announced he would be playing his last ever match, and he made sure to go out with a bang.
In the 7th minute, Zizou swaggered up to the penalty spot and pulled off an audacious 'Panenka' to give the French the lead. Not long after, his goal was cancelled out by a Marco Materazzi header.
The two goalscorers would later end up being the protagonists of one of the World Cup's most infamous acts.
With neither team managing to find a winner in 90 minutes, extra-time ensued and tensions rose as the European heavyweights battled it out for football's most coveted trophy.
20 minutes into extra-time, Materazzi and Zidane exchanged words as the Frenchman trotted back down the pitch. With a chilling serenity, Zizou sharply turned back towards the Italian and delivered a graceful headbutt to his chest.
Materazzi hit the deck and the referee came dashing over. As expected, after the red mist, came the red card for the French captain, who waved goodbye to the World Cup on his way down the tunnel.
Italy would go on to claim the trophy, winning 5-3 on penalties. Years later, the French saw the funny side of Zizou's headbutt and erected a statue of the gesture outside the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Zidane chose to honour his three match ban by completing three seperate days of humanitarian project work for FIFA.