Reaction: France World Cup squad announced
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by Bobo
France come off the back of contrasting fortunes in International competition. Nobody will ever forget their 1998 World Cup win on home turf, and similarly no human being with a heart will fail to have felt emotional at Euro 2000 in the countries of Belgium and the Netherlands, at seeing the French victorious after England's shock first round exit.
That said, they are going to have to perform better this time around in a group phase which they failed to pass in the 2002 World Cup.
France's number one goalkeeper for this tournament is Nantes backstop Mickael Landreau. He has been attached to his team since 1996, and has never seen his French team beaten with him in the goalkeeper's position. He first played internationally in the 1997 World Youth Championship, before making two appearances in the Confederations Cup and in Euro 2004.
Jean-Alain Boumsong's first British action came north of the border for Rangers, before he moved to Newcastle United the following year. He took part in the European Championships in 2004.
Eric Abidal has managed to establish himself at the heart of the French defence, and goes into the World Cup at the peak of his career. The mid-defenceman who can also be counted on as a winger, has earned five international caps thus far, his first coming in August 2004.
Patrick Vieira moved to Juventus at the back end of 2005 from Arsenal, and is one of the only players capable of epitomizing every single little thing about a defensive midfielder. Despite not seeing action at the 1998 World Cup, he made in important impact during Euro 2000, and, when Zinedine Zidane re-emerged, Vieira didn’t hesitate to give up his captaining role with typical humility.
William Gallas has made 40 appearances for the French national team, and is the guiding light within a magnificently strong Chelsea lineup. He is a solid tackler, and played extensively during the qualifying matches for France during this World Cup.
Claude Makelele's importance to the French team can’t be underestimated. Having started off in his home country, he landed in Spain in 1998, before joining Real Madrid and winning trophies galore in the early 21st Century. He now provides protection for the defence of the English team the like of which hasn’t been seen for many decades.
Florent Malouda has only been at three clubs during his entire career, and has never spent any time outside of his home country. He signed most recently in 2003 for Lyon, and enjoyed his first cap in 2004.
Vikash Dhorasoo first signed a professional contract at the age of 20, and, having played in the Olympic tournament in 1996, his first cap came in 1999 against the Ukraine. Overlooked until now, he played in seven qualifiers for the upcoming tournament.
Djibril Cisse, with his dyed hair and beard, is one of the most recognizable players on the French field. He spent just 56 minutes on the pitch during France’s 2002 World Cup campaign, despite playing in all three matches. He later won the Confederations Cup in 2003. However, he is looking as though he is out of the tournament, after recently breaking his leg.
Zinedine Zidane has accolade after accolade. After scoring twice on his debut in 1994, he won the Intercontinental Cup with Juventus, a pair of Serie A titles in 1997 and 1998, and was the undoubted star of the 2002 World Cup. He signed for Real Madrid for 73 million Euros, and is now looking to grace his final international competition with his presence.
Silvain Wiltord is strong, consistent and beautiful in his play, and has accrued more than 75 caps during his career. He possesses a powerful shot which leaves his opponents standing.
Thierry Henry is nowadays not just regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, but as one of the most deadly finishers around. He has now smashed the Arsenal record for record goals, held previously by Ian Wright, and is now motivated to winning the World Cup with France after such a disappointing campaign in 2002.
Easily noticed as much for his hairstyles as for his play, Mikael Silvestre is one of the most important members of the French defence. He did not play a single game, however, last year, which means that the young man formerly at Internazionale may find himself out of practice when it comes to onfield play.
Louis Saha has been unable to garner a place within the team since November 2004, but he is still very much within the national conscience. Thanks to 15 goals in 45 matches during the 2005/06 season, which has helped him keep striker Ruud van Nistelrooij on the bench, he has been able to set the French team alight once again.
Lilian Thuram received his international debut in 1994, and since then has never looked back, as part of the watertight defence of the 1998 tournament, and as one of the most outstandingly inventive shot-takers in the middle years of his career. And during 2000, Thuram’s defensive plugging was the most important aspect of their European Championship campaign. As time went on, and 2006 approached, Thuram announced he was quitting international football, but could not resist the lure of one more World Cup.
Fabien Barthez enjoyed a renaissance in his career after joining Manchester United, but the slightly insane goalkeeper, who played in every match of the 1998 World Cup which saw France victorious, and three at the 2002 World Cup which saw them come away with little more than pride, is still as brilliant and as crazy in equal measure.
Gael Givet has most notably played in the FIFA World Youth Championships, and has been with Monaco ever since he started his career in 2000. The French team have never lost with Givet in the side, and having started 11 times for the team, he is looking for them to carry this record on.
Alou Diarra, having started his career with a lowly-ranked club, immediately made it into the big time having signed for Bayern Munich in 2000. He played during the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but was soon substituted.
Willy Sagnol now plays in Germany having played in France for the majority of his career. He won a Champions League place the year after joining the club, and his sweet left foot makes him the number one choice at left-back for the French team this year.
David Trezeguet in fact did not start his career in France, but with Argentinean side Platense. He was the second-top scorer at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1997, and has played in the last two World Cups.
Pascal Chimbonda currently plays in England for Wigan Athletic, having been picked up from Bastia at the back end of 2005. However, this low profile player’s good form in the English league this season makes Chimbonda one of the surprise additions to the French squad. He was recently voted best right-back in the French squad by his fellow players.
Frank Ribery has only recently made it into the national side, though his quick running skills and loan spell with Galatasaray brought him some playing practice. Up to his sixth club at the mere age of 23, he has been since linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal over in England.
Third choice goalkeeper Gregory Coupet first made his international mark in 2001 in the Confederations Cup. Having been overlooked in 2002, he played extensively during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying stage.
After a poor 2002 competition, France will look to perform slightly better this time around. There is no reason why they should not be able to do so, with one of the strongest squads in the competition.
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