Why did Zidane do it?

JUST what did Marco Materazzi say to Zinedine Zidane in Sunday’s World Cup final?

The question dominated the French and Italian media yesterday and a thousand water cooler conversations around the world after the French captain was sent off in the World Cup final — his last game before retirement — after driving his shaven head into the chest of Materazzi in the first period of extra time.

The Italians went on to win the tournament on a penalty shootout, while the best player of his generation lurked somewhere in the bowels of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

For all anyone knows, Materazzi might have made fun of Zidane’s age or his baldness — it was, after all, the 14th red card of the player’s career, so such violent rages aren’t completely unknown.

But the fact he lost his temper on the biggest stage of all and was walking away from Materazzi, before he turned and walked up to him suggests it was something far more inflammatory.

In the absence of hard evidence, the world’s media and internet buzzed with a number of competing theories.

Yesterday, Zidane’s agent would only say Zidane was “provoked” by a comment from the Italy defender. Alain Migliaccio said he did not know what Materazzi said, but Zidane would reveal all soon.

“He will in one or two days’ time explain why he had such a reaction.”

Until he does, the only news anyone can report confidently is the fact that FIFA yesterday awarded the 34-year-old with the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament.

The award follows a vote taken at half-time in the final. The game’s authorities probably wish they had waited until the game was over.