Willy Sagnol refused to speak to Zinedine Zidane after World Cup loss | OneFootball

Following Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, which they subsequently lost on penalties, it’s no surprise that some of his France team-mates wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

Despite offering his apologies to his team-mates after the match, some of his team-mates held a grudge for a very long time, including defender Willy Sagnol, who would retire after Euro 2008.

In a recent interview, the former Bayern Munich stalwart admitted he refused to speak to Zidane long after the incident.

“After the game, in the dressing room, Zidane apologised,” Sagnol told Radio Montecarlo.

“But I didn’t accept his apology, I didn’t want to talk to him, it wasn’t the time, there was too much disappointment.

“I went to the bathroom and smoked 250 cigarettes in 10 minutes. We didn’t talk for two years after that.

“In 2008, however, I got married and my wife told me to invite him. I called him and we had a little snack together in the morning: we had a good conversation.”

Sagnol enjoyed a brief career in management following his playing days, leading the France U-21s before taking over at Bordeaux from 2014 to 2016.

He was last seen on the sidelines in 2017 at Bayern Munich, briefly working as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant and Bayern’s interim manager before leaving the club in early October.