Zidane received a red card for head-butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 final, the last match of his France career, which Italy won 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"It (the sending off) was a very good thing," the former Real Madrid and Juventus playmaker told France Football.

"It's good that (Italian keeper Gianluigi) Buffon signalled what I had done to the referee because it was not pretty.

"I don't know how I could have lived with it had France become world champions and I had stayed on the pitch."

And Zidane, who helped France lift the World Cup in 1998, believes there has been an over-reaction to Thierry Henry's handball that led to France beating Ireland in November and securing a place at World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

"Many people outside football got involved, people who love you when you lift trophies and let you down when things go wrong," he said. "I'm certain Henry is not proud of his gesture."