WRIT unfeasibly large on Marco Materazzi’s left forearm are the Roman numerals XIX VIII MCMLXXIII, spelling out his date of birth as boldy as if he were branded the moment he left the womb.

Materazzi is a man who is proud of where he has come from. His is a tale of rags to riches, of an ugly duckling defender who grew into a World Cup winner and if at times he still resembles the hot-headed and slightly uncoordinated figure who was sent off three times during a spell at Everton in the late-1990s, that is perhaps an even greater illustration of how far he has come.

His status as one of the hardest defenders in world football has earned him a cult following among fans of Inter Milan — some of whom have set up a website glamorising his most infamous tackles, most notably on Andriy Shevchenko in derby matches against AC Milan — but now he is destined to be remembered for something more, as the other protagonist in the incident that resulted in the majestic career of Ziné dine Zidane ending in such an undignified manner.

Protagonist or antagonist? Materazzi, nicknamed “The Matrix”, is no angel, but those who know him claim that sledging is not his style. Something must have happened for Zidane to react as he did, launching his head into the Italy defender’s chest during extra time in the World Cup final, but Materazzi, 32, is an old-fashioned sort of hard man, the type who kicks his opponents but then helps them up, albeit usually in the hope of avoiding a booking.

It is a trick that rarely worked during his 12 months at Everton, where he is not remembered as a world champion in the making. It was not that he was a bad player, more that he was dogged by a tendency to be in the right place at the wrong time.

As he was sent off for the third and final time for Everton in a home match against Coventry City in April 1999, he sat against the advertising hoardings in dismay and seemingly on the verge of tears before he was led down the players’ tunnel.

That was the last English football saw of Materazzi, but two years later he joined Inter and slowly became a mainstay of the Italy squad. Controversy and red cards have never been too far away, but the World Cup final on Sunday perhaps defined his career because it featured the good (his headed goal), the bad (his challenge on Florent Malouda to concede a penalty) and the ugly (his altercation with Zidane). This time, though, it was Zidane who lost his head.