Sporting legends who had a bumpy departure

Zinedine Zidane headbutts Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final. Photo / Getty

Richie McCaw hasn't confirmed his retirement from rugby yet. But if he does so, then he will be one of those rare sports legends who depart on a perfect note, having just won a second consecutive World Cup.

It's a tricky business, getting the final footsteps in a team sport so right. We look at the superstars who managed it, and those who missed out.

Legends who had a bumpy departure...

Donald Bradman - cricket
Australia scored another crushing win at The Oval in London in the 1948 Ashes series, so it was not a true defeat for The Don. But in one of sport's most famous moments, Bradman was bowled for a duck needing just four runs to finish his absolutely remarkable career with a test batting average of 100. This "failure" - which left him on an average of 99-plus - is more famous than the series itself.

Colin Meads - rugby
The All Black giant was in the thick of the glorious 60s but bowed out as a losing captain against the 1971 British Lions. His stature was in no way diminished by this, and the tourists were held in such high regard - they were full of stars and played exhilarating rugby - that there is always a nice glow to the series. Meads' 55th and final test was a draw at Eden Park, leaving the Lions as 2 - 1 series winners.

Zinedine Zidane - football
Probably the worst farewell for a sporting legend. The French maestro departed with a red card for the head butt on Italian Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin. France lost on penalties, and Zidane's farewell gift was a three match suspension which he served out by doing good work off the field.

Richard Hadlee - cricket
A heavy defeat against England in Birmingham in 1990 was the great man's exit point, the result giving the home side a 1 - 0 series victory. However the Kiwi superstar - who was always big on personal milestones - did finish with his 36th haul of five wickets in an innings including Devon Malcolm from his final ball. Opening bowler Malcolm, who had a pair of ducks in the match thanks to Hadlee, got the New Zealand fast bowler to sign a keepsake scorecard.

...and those who got to live the fairytale

Martin Johnson - rugby
The hard nosed captain was central to England's rise to win the 2003 World Cup in Australia. The craggy lock was even the last man to plough the ball ahead to set up Jonny Wilkinson's winning drop goal against the hosts.

John Elway - gridiron
Completions don't get much better than this. The Denver Broncos' great quarterback bowed out with a second consecutive Super Bowl win in 1999. The Broncos beat Atlanta, Elway throwing for a mammoth 336 yards, rushing for a touch down and winning the MVP.

Ray Borque - ice hockey
The finest defenceman in hockey went 21 seasons and more than 1800 games for Boston without winning the Stanley Cup before switching to the Colorado Avalanche and claiming the trophy in 2001, his only season there. Such was his standing and the legend of his misses that after winning game seven against New Jersey, the Colorado captain broke tradition and handed Borque the cup to hoist.

Joe di Maggio - baseball
Di Maggio was a conundrum, a groundbreaking media star who married Marilyn Monroe who was also a very private individual. The Yankee Clipper's final game was a World Series-clinching victory over the New York Giants, the last of the so-called 'subway series' between them. More than 60,000 were at Yankee Stadium to see his last appearance and the Yankees claim a third consecutive world title. He hit a home run and drove in five runs in the series, but went out on an unsentimental note lamenting his diminished form. "When baseball is no longer fun it's no longer a game. And so, I've played my last game of ball," he told a press conference.