The headbutt of Zinedine Zidane on Materazzi in the Germany 2006 World Cup has been etched in football history. And 12 years later, it was the referee of that match who revealed how he found out about it, as he didn't see it at the time.

Horacio Elizondo, the referee of the match France vs. Italy in that World Cup, has revealed who informed him about the memorable headbutt.

Through a 'TED Talk', Elizondo has mentioned the name of "Luis Medina Cantalejo" - the fourth referee of that final - whom he called his "guardian angel".

"At one point, I see Materazzi lying on the ground, about thirty or forty meters away, and I interrupt the game and say, 'Oh! What happened?'... Quickly, through the intercoms, I ask David and Rodolfo, who were my assistants, 'What did you see, what happened?' Oh, surprise! Both answer me: 'Horacio, we didn't see anything at all'", said Horacio Elizondo.

After that, he narrated how he found out about what happened: "And when I was saying to myself 'Horacio, you're in trouble', my guardian angel appears, who has a name and last name, Luis Medina Cantalejo, who was the fourth referee of that final, from Seville, Spain, and he says to me, 'Horacio, Horacio, I saw it. Terrible headbutt from Zidane on Materazzi!'. When I heard that passionate, strong, and forceful story, I said, 'But Luis, how was it? Did they clash heads, did they push each other, what happened?'... 'But hey, %$#, a terrible headbutt on Materazzi's chest from Zidane, when you watch it on the video, in the hotel, you won't be able to believe it. The only thing missing was him saying: And olé!' So when I arrived at the scene, I already had all the information and the decision I was going to make, which was to send Zinedine Zidane off the field".