Marco Materazzi

Marco Materazzi(born August 19, 1973 in Lecce) is an Italian football (soccer) defender, who currently plays for Serie A club Internazionale.

Known mostly (and perhaps infamous) for his aggressive playing style Marco Materazzi was a late bloomer. He spent his early career in the lower divisions of Italian soccer, playing for Tor di Quinto (1991-92), Marsala (1993-94), and Trapani (1994-95). He joined Perugia, then in Serie B, for the first time in 1995, but spent a part of the 1996-97 season at Serie C's Capri, before coming back to Perugia. Materazzi then spent 1998-99 with England's Everton, before another stint with Perugia, now in the Serie A. After scoring 12 goals in the 2000-01 season, an Italian record for a defender, he signed with Inter. At Perugia, he was known for his accurate left-footed free kicks, but with so many good free kick takers at Inter, such as he never gets a chance to take one.

For Italy, Materazzi played at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Materazzi is a significant part of the Inter defence and a key figure for them on the pitch. He has recently been provided with the opportunity to captain the side due to Javier Zanetti's injury.