The bronze work of art, simply titled
"Headbutt", was Wednesday attracting crowds of tourists and locals
who jostled to have their photos taken in front of the five-metre (16-foot)
statue.
The sculpture is by Algerian
artist Adel Abdessemed, subject of a retrospective exhibition in the Pompidou
from October 3 until next January.
"This statue goes against
the tradition of making statues in honour of certain victories. It is an ode to
defeat," said exhibition organiser Alain Michaud.
A much smaller version of the
statue -- which shows the two football players in the seconds after the
headbutt, with the Italian player reeling after the attack -- was previously
exhibited by a New York art gallery.
Zidane, who holds legendary
status in France as a member of the national teams that won the 1998 World Cup
and Euro 2000, was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final for headbutting Marco
Materazzi in the chest.
That was the then France
captain's last ever professional match as a player and he later claimed he had
reacted to slurs the Italian directed against his sister and mother.
The statue will stay in its
spot in front of the Pompidou till the end of the Abdessemed exhibition in
January.
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