Life & Times is a regular feature detailing the careers and stories of ex-Premier League stars. In the fourth post of the series, I look at a man who could be considered more infamous than famous. But he's been incredibly successful in his career, and I'd almost guarantee that he'd argue that notoriety was a small price to pay.
Rewind to July 2006. From my seat in a balmy villa in Coin, Spain, I watch Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest players of his generation, play out the kind of World Cup final appearance you simply couldn't have made up.
The France captain opened the scoring against Italy with an audacious penalty. The retiring Zidane then engaged in the final act of his career: headbutting the chest of an Italian taunter in extra time and sloping off past the World Cup itself into the tunnel, never to be seen playing professional football again.
Alongside that story, of course, was unfolding the latest chapter in the controversial career of Marco Materazzi. It was the man known as Matrix who equalised Zidane's opener with a towering header, and he was the player who taunted Zizou into ending his career in disgrace.
Materazzi began his career with the amateur side Tor di Quinto before progressing to Serie C2 with Marsala and C1 with Trapani - a year-on-year progression during the mid-1990s for a prodigious defensive talent.
Perugia picked up Matrix while they were in Serie B, and he played for a while before being loaned out to Serie C outfit Carpi.
There, Materazzi put in a staggering run of goalscoring performances for a central defender, netting seven times in just 18 appearances.
With a few more Perugia appearances under his belt, Materazzi was eventually sold in 1998 - he wanted to try his luck in England.
Discipline has always been front-of-mind for football folk when considering Marco Materazzi's career and habits. It came into sharp focus for English supporters when, during just 27 league appearances for Everton, Materazzi was sent off four times.
Sold back to Perugia after that one season, was Materazzi a flop at Everton? At least one fan doesn't think so. Kevin Kendall makes an interesting case - Materazzi might have been better learning his trade from Dave Watson and Richard Gough? I doubt it.
After a second period of around 50 Perugia appearances, 2001 brought Matrix his big break: Internazionale signed him and helped turn him into a world-beater. Seven years later, he's still there and he's as controversial as ever.
He's picked up plenty of red cards including, amazingly, a dismissal having already been substituted in the Milan derby this season.
But he also has a World Cup to his name, along with three Scudetti (one thanks to Calciopoli), two Coppa Italia and three Supercoppa Italiana. He's also been paid damages over claims made with regards to the Zidane incident. Not bad going for a bad lad from Lecce.
Marco Materazzi has a reputation for being thuggish and, occasionally, clumsy. But he's a top-quality centre-half. He wouldn't be at such a huge club otherwise.
What do you think of Matrix the man and Matrix the player?
(Photo Credits: Sporting Life, Everton FC, BBC Sport)
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