The Italy defender was head-butted in the chest by Zidane after insulting the France captain's sister in the World Cup final on July 9 in Berlin. Zidane got red-carded and Italy went on to win the title in a penalty shootout.

``I have made my apologies. In return I have never received the offer of a handshake,'' Materazzi said Wednesday in an interview with French radio station RTL. ``Let's not forget, I'm the one who received the head-butt.''

Materazzi, who received a two-game ban for inciting Zidane, called himself ``a great guy,'' and said he has heard similar things about the Frenchman, who has since retired from soccer.

``When someone makes an effort to get to know me, they will see that, off the field, I am a great guy,'' Materazzi said. ``When I asked what he (Zidane) is like, I was told the same thing.

``We are two brave guys, and we did not deserve all that happened after the World Cup,'' Materazzi added.

Since the World Cup, the Italian has published a book called ``What I actually told Zidane.''