In an exclusive interview with the ‘Guardian’, Marco Materazzi has gone to great depths to reveal the secrets behind Italy’s 2006 World Cup win.
Materazzi became most famous for being the victim of Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt, but he was also a crucial component of Italy’s watertight defensive line.
“There are several reasons [why we won] but there is one main aspect of our triumph that is absolutely key: we fought for each other in Germany; we were a proper team. The togetherness of the group is the secret,” he said.
“The team must be united. That is more important than any individual sporting ability. It is fundamental for everyone to be focused on the objective, to win the World Cup, and in 2006 we were. We were also a group of friends – more than just a collection of footballers – and that helped us enormously.
“Nothing could get to us. We were always stronger than any obstacle. For two years we had pushed forward together with this same group of players. We knew each other so well, during training and during matches, but also on a human level. We felt very strong together. We were confident we could achieve this great dream. The entire country had.”