Marco Materazzi is a World Cup winner and key protagonist in one of football’s most infamous moments. A curious hybrid of cultured defender and hard man for most but the abiding image of his ...

Former Inter defender and world cup winner Marco Materazzi has revealed why he swore at Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese had left the Nerazzurri to become coach of Real Madrid in 2010.

Says Daniela, “Nobody believed in him as a soccer player except for me.” Materazzi was a late bloomer, reaching Serie A at age 24 and making his first national-team appearance at 27.