Why ‘little brother’ Rossi is Materazzi’s hero
SEVEN THINGS ABOUT MATERAZZI YOU MAY NOT KNOW
KOLKATA: Valentino Rossi and Michael Jordan are 2006 World Cup winner and Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi’s heroes. Uniting Rossi, who has nine Grands Prix world titles, and the basketball legend is their ability to never give up, said Materazzi.
“They never surrendered, for them it’s always about going beyond their limits. I am lucky to have Valentino as my little brother. I know him really well and we spend a lot of time together. He (Rossi) calls me ‘big brother’. Jordan, of course, is an idol. Outside of football, basketball plays a big part in my life. Each of my sports shops (Sports 23) has a lot of space for basketball goods. Hopefully, some day, I will get Jordan to my shops. Rossi has come,” Materazzi told HT, speaking through an interpreter.
After the 10th round, Chennaiyin FC was the basement team of ISL2. Following their 1-2 loss to Atletico de Kolkata here, the first question Materazzi was asked was Favourite musical bands: Pearl Jam and U2. converted, and then equalised heading home Andrea Pirlo’s corner-kick. He also scored in the tie-breaker.
“Public opinion may be some thing else but I remember that night for the goals I scored,” he said. Materazzi has a boom ing voice and even when sitting on a couch so soft that the Inter Milan and Italy star was somewhat sunk in it his muscu lar frame towered over everyone. It was almost tempting to let Zidane stay the elephant in the room but when asked what he thought of the head-butting Frenchman whose sending-off he orches trated, Materazzi replied with a smile. “I don’t have any prob lem with him. To me, he was just another French player in that team,” he said.
That was Zidane’s 14th red card of his career, Materazzi’s been sent off 11 times more “Calm people don’t win a lot,” he dead-panned.
Unless, Atletico de Kolkata pull off a miracle, Materazzi’s hope of bettering what was an “amazing” last year will be on course.
Son Davide, 14, is part of Perugia’s youth football team. He also has an older son who is 18 and a daughter who is 10.
“Helps me remember all things good and bad that happened to me.”
Ronaldo of Brazil. “He could do the right things at the right moment and at incredible speed.”
whether the semifinal seemed a destination too far. Five straight wins, including a 3-0 rout of the defending champions Atletico de Kolkata on Saturday, later they have a foot in the final. Like the coach his team too, it seems,
never says never.
Comebacks have been an important part of Materazzi’s football career. Look no further than the 2006 World Cup in Berlin. Materazzi conceded a penalty, which Zinedine Zidane