Marco Materazzi has never shied away from discussing his most infamous moment with Zinedine Zidane. Nearly two decades on, his stance has not changed.

“I have no regrets,” Materazzi said. “For me, in football, during the 90 minutes, you can do everything to give your team the opportunity to win, and then in the end, when the referee says it’s over, for me it’s over.”

He insists there is no lingering issue between them. “Have I spoken to Zinedine Zidane? Not yet. For me, it’s no problem… I have much respect for him. He was a very good player and a legend for me, too.”

But while the past still follows him, Materazzi, speaking with Hajper, is already looking ahead to the next World Cup and the player he believes could define it.

Bellingham is the one to watch

For the Italian, the standout name at Real Madrid is not Kylian Mbappé or Vinicius Junior. It is Jude Bellingham.

“Can Jude Bellingham be compared with Zinedine Zidane? Maybe,” he said. “He improved massively in his first year at Real Madrid.”

Materazzi believes the England midfielder is perfectly positioned to take over the global stage. “I think we will be ready for the World Cup this year. This season he has shown a little bit less for Real Madrid but in the World Cup I think it will be Jude’s tournament and he will be one of the best players.”

It is a bold prediction, but one grounded in timing. Bellingham is approaching what Materazzi sees as the ideal moment in a player’s career.

“He will soon turn 23. He is the perfect age to be the leader England needs.”

Following Zidane’s path... but not his ending

The comparison with Zidane inevitably raises one question, and Materazzi was quick to dismiss any repeat of 2006.

“Could he end up headbutting a defender like Zidane did to me? No,” he said. “He is too professional a player to do that.”

Materazzi clearly sees a different kind of legacy. Not controversy, but control and leadership.

And if his prediction proves right, the next World Cup may belong not to Madrid’s headline forwards, but to the midfielder shaping games from the center of it all. England’s 60-year wait would be over.

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