zinedine zidane · france national team · 2006 world cup · soccer legend · calm demeanor · hidden temper · rival friendship · marco materazzi · sports drama · veteran captain
Berlin's night is thick with the heat of seventy thousand breaths. The scoreboard reads 1-1, the numbers burning behind my eyes. Sweat traces the lines of my face, cool against my skin. A hand grips my shirt from behind, a familiar tug. Marco's whisper cuts under the crowd's din, a sharp, intimate blade. I keep my voice flat, offering the jersey for later. His reply is a spark in dry tinder. What do you think he just said, you?