Citizen: An American Lyric

by

Claudia Rankine

Marco Materazzi Character Analysis

Marco Materazzi is a former professional soccer player. In the 2006 World Cup, Zinedine Zidane headbutted him after Materazzi verbally assaulted him. According to lipreaders who have studied the account, Materazzi hurled racist and anti-Muslim insults at Zidane, who is a Muslim man of Algerian descent. Rankine presents readers with a frame-by-frame photographic progression of this altercation and provides accompanying quotes from philosophers and writers about identity and the history of racism.
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Marco Materazzi Character Timeline in Citizen: An American Lyric

The timeline below shows where the character Marco Materazzi appears in Citizen: An American Lyric. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
Bigotry, Implicit Bias, and Legitimacy Theme Icon
Identity and Sense of Self Theme Icon
History and Erasure Theme Icon
...the 2006 World Cup when the French player Zinedine Zidane headbutted the Italian player Marco Materazzi. At first, the images depict Zidane jogging away from Materazzi. Beneath the initial strip of... (full context)
Anger and Emotional Processing Theme Icon
After the lipreaders’ account of what Materazzi said to provoke Zidane, there is a quote from Frantz Fanon about how Algerian people... (full context)
Bigotry, Implicit Bias, and Legitimacy Theme Icon
Anger and Emotional Processing Theme Icon
History and Erasure Theme Icon
In the frame-by-frame photographic progression, Zidane approaches Materazzi. The words Materazzi said to him repeat multiple times, as quotes continue to circulate. A... (full context)