# Zidane's headbutt

> Zidane headbutt replays drew over 1.5 million YouTube views in a day.

- Owner: null
- Kind: Moment
- Sector: Sports
- Seed date: 2006-07-09
- Peak proxy date: Week of Jul 17, 2006
- Date basis: Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 43 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Response chain, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy

## Summary

Zidane was sent off and France lost on penalties. Fans rebuilt the headbutt in LEGO, games and videos. An emailed parody became the French chart-topper Coup de Boule; a sculpture later carried the gesture into museums.

## Timeline

- 2006-07-09 — Zinedine Zidane (TV) — Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi and was sent off during the World Cup final.
- 2006-07-09 — Alan / Kaptain Kobold (Open web) — Kaptain Kobold posted a LEGO recreation, saying he uploaded it within 15 minutes of the incident.
- Week of Jul 10, 2006 — French radio / Skyrock (Audio) — French radio played Coup de Boule after it circulated by email.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/zidane-headbutt

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Zidane's headbutt.” Case HIS-01626. Spread Score v1.3: 43/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01626