Chinese man hopes to market Zidane headbutt

BEIJING: A Chinese entrepreneur has reportedly registered as a trademark the silhouette of French football star Zinedine Zidane headbutting an Italian player during last month's World Cup final.

Zhao Xiaokai registered the trademark with local authorities for 2,000 yuan (250 dollars) and is asking up to 1.0 million yuan from those seeking to use the image, the Beijing Daily reported.

The silhouette captures Zidane viciously headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi, an act which earned the French captain a red card in his final professional match of an otherwise illustrious career.

Zhao, a manager of a Beijing media marketing company, registered the trademark for use on clothing, shoes, hats, beer and other consumer products, the paper said.