Italy won.
If you just wanted the short answer for a pub quiz, there it is. Italy beat France on penalties after a 1-1 draw to secure their fourth star. But honestly, just saying "Italy won" is like saying the Titanic had a bit of a plumbing issue. It doesn't even begin to cover the absolute chaos, the geopolitical tension, or the headbutt that basically redefined how we remember an entire generation of football.
The 2006 World Cup wasn't just a tournament; it was a redemption arc for a country that was literally falling apart at the seams back home. While Fabio Cannavaro was lifting that trophy in Berlin, the Italian domestic league, Serie A, was being gutted by the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. You had players like Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon playing the games of their lives while knowing their club, Juventus, was probably about to be relegated to the second division. It’s wild when you think about it. Most teams need "harmony" to win. Italy needed a crisis.
Who Won the 2006 World Cup and How They Actually Did It
The final held on July 9, 2006, at the Olympiastadion is mostly remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s exit, but the tactical battle was fascinating. France actually looked like the better team for long stretches.
Zidane put France ahead early with a penalty that was—frankly—terrifyingly ballsy. He chipped it. A Panenka in a World Cup final against Gigi Buffon? It hit the crossbar, bounced down past the line, and went back up. Audacious. But Italy didn't blink. Marco Materazzi, who would later become the most famous "villain" in French history, equalized with a towering header from a corner.
Italy's path to that final wasn't a fluke, though. They didn't just stumble into the trophy. They had a defense that was essentially a brick wall with hair gel. Throughout the entire seven-game tournament, they only conceded two goals. Think about that for a second. One was an own goal against the USA in the group stages, and the other was Zidane’s penalty. Nobody—not Germany, not Czech Republic, not Australia—scored against them from open play.
The Semifinal That Changed Everything
You can't talk about who won the 2006 World Cup without talking about the semifinal against Germany. If the final was the drama, the semi was the masterpiece.
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Playing Germany in Dortmund is usually a death sentence. The atmosphere was suffocating. It stayed 0-0 until the 118th minute of extra time. Everyone was bracing for penalties. Then, Fabio Grosso happened. A curling shot into the side netting that broke German hearts. Moments later, Alessandro Del Piero finished a counter-attack to make it 2-0.
That game is why Italy won the tournament. It gave them the psychological belief that they were untouchable. It also cemented Marcello Lippi as a tactical genius. He finished that game with four attackers on the pitch. In the temple of German football. It was madness, and it worked.
The Headbutt Heard 'Round the World
We have to talk about the 110th minute of the final.
Zidane and Materazzi were jogging down the pitch. Some words were exchanged. We later found out via various lip-readers and eventual confessions that Materazzi had insulted Zidane’s sister. Zidane turned around and drove his forehead into Materazzi’s chest.
Red card.
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It was Zidane's final act as a professional footballer. One of the greatest to ever lace up boots walked past the trophy, head down, into the tunnel. Without their captain and best penalty taker, France felt diminished. When the game went to a shootout, David Trezeguet—the man who had scored the Golden Goal to beat Italy in Euro 2000—hit the bar.
Italy was perfect from the spot. Pirlo, Materazzi, De Rossi, Del Piero, and finally, Fabio Grosso. The unlikely hero. The left-back from Palermo who nobody expected to be the face of the tournament. He tucked it away, and Italy was on top of the world.
Why This Victory Still Matters Today
The 2006 win changed the narrative of Italian football. It moved them past the "Catenaccio" (The Chain) reputation of just being boring defenders. This team had flair. They had Andrea Pirlo playing passes that seemed to defy physics. They had Gennaro Gattuso playing like a man who hadn't slept in three weeks and lived on raw steak.
Specifically, it’s worth noting that:
- It was Italy’s first World Cup win since 1982.
- Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon d'Or later that year, a rare feat for a defender.
- The win temporarily unified a country divided by the sporting scandal of the century.
People often argue that France was the "better" team in the final. Maybe. But the World Cup isn't about being the best on paper; it's about being the most resilient. Italy survived a penalty shootout, which had historically been their Achilles' heel (1990, 1994, and 1998 all ended in shootout heartbreak for them). To win it on penalties was the ultimate exorcism of their demons.
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The Legacy of the 2006 Squad
Where are they now? Many of them became managers. Fabio Cannavaro, Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, and Gennaro Gattuso have all had stints on the sidelines. Buffon, somehow, played professionally until he was nearly 100 years old (okay, 45, but it felt like forever).
The tactical shift toward ball-playing midfielders like Pirlo really took off after this tournament. While Spain would later perfect the "Tiki-Taka" style, the 2006 Italian side showed that you could combine elite defensive organization with a deep-lying playmaker to dominate the world stage.
Actionable Insights for Football Fans
If you're looking to revisit this era or understand the tactical nuances of that win, there are a few things you should do rather than just watching a three-minute highlight reel on YouTube:
- Watch the full 120 minutes of Germany vs. Italy (Semifinal): This is widely considered one of the highest-quality games in modern football history. It’s a masterclass in tension and late-game substitution strategy.
- Research the Calciopoli Context: To truly appreciate the win, read up on the 2006 match-fixing scandal. It explains why the players were so emotional. They weren't just playing for a trophy; they were playing for the reputation of their entire league.
- Analyze Fabio Cannavaro’s Positioning: If you’re a coach or a player, watch Cannavaro specifically in the final. At only 5'9", he shouldn't have been that good in the air, but his timing and reading of the game were flawless. It’s a clinic on how to defend without being a giant.
- Compare the 2006 Final to 2024 Standards: Notice the lack of VAR. Think about how different that Zidane headbutt would have been handled today. It was actually the fourth official who saw it on a monitor and told the referee—a precursor to the technology we have now.
Italy’s victory in 2006 was the end of an era. It was the last time a "traditional" Italian defensive side ruled the world before the era of Spanish and German dominance took over. It was gritty, it was dramatic, and it was perfectly Italian.