Zinédine Zidane Headbutt Statue

Ich und Fußball, wir sind ja so richtig dicke, aber lassen wir das. In Paris haben sie eine riesige Bronzestatue von Zinédine Zidanes Kopfnuss während der WM2006 aufgestellt, nachdem Materazzi der Sage nach seine Mutter beleidigt hatte. Die Statue ist ein Monument des Anti-Sports, ein Denkmal die Niederlage im Fußball, genau das Gegenteil von den herkömmlichen Fußballtollfindern. So gesehen passt die ja dann doch wunderbar hier rein.

I’ve heard that the night that the French playmaker Zinedine Zidane ended his career was a very sad night in Paris. The French lost the World Cup Final. Everywhere, people were crying. So it might come as some surprise that the evening’s painful, defining moment has now been cast in bronze outside the Pompidou Center, the city’s modern art museum. But there it is, 15 feet high, towering over passersby: Zizou lowering his forehead into Marco Materazzi’s chest; the Italian defender leaping back like he has touched an electric fence. […]

The statue, entitled “Headbutt,” is by the Algerian sculptor Adel Abdessemed, and coincides with an exhibition of his work in the museum. “This statue goes against the tradition of making statues to honor victories,” said Phillipe Alain Michaud, who directed the exhibition. “It is an ode to defeat… Zidane’s downward glance recalls that of Adam, chased from paradise.”

The Atlantic Cities: Paris Commemmorates Its 2006 World Cup Defeat, in Bronze, BBC: Zidane’s head-butt cast in bronze on display in Paris (via Jason Kottke)