History of France

France Football Team Overview

The French National Team was created in 1904, only a few months after the creation of FIFA. Now, Les Bleus are one of the best national team in the world. They won the 1984 Olympic Games, the 1984 and 2000 Euro, the 1998 World Cup, as host nation, and were runner-up in the 2006 World Cup. Leading by well-experienced players such as Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele, Lilian Thuram, France can also relied on a new generation with an impressive potential composed by Ribery, Benzema, Malouda. Les Bleus have a really strong core and are one of the 2008 Euro's favourite.

Road to Euro 2008

France were drawn into Group C with Italy, Netherlands and Romania. It was predicted this would be the hardest group of the competition. France but they showed a really strong core in the qualifications, losing only 2 games, both against Scotland. Relying on new players such as Benzema, Nasri, Les Bleus have what it takes to conquer another European Championship title. France did not have such good luck in the tournament, and were eliminated in the Group stage after losing badly to the Netherlands, losing to Italy, and drawing 0-0 against Romania.

World Cup 2010 Qualification

The following games are scheduled for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. France is in Group G for the qualifying rounds, and gets to face Romania again:

• France vs. Austria ---------------> September 6
• France vs. Serbia ----------------> September 10
• France vs. Romania -------------> October 11
• France vs. Uruguay ------------> November 19
• France vs. Lithuania -------------> March 28, 2009
• France vs. Lithuania -------------> April 1st, *2009
• France vs. Faroe Islands -------> August 19. 2009
• France vs. Romania -------------> September 5, 2009
• France vs. Serbia ----------------> September 9, 2009
• France vs. Faroe Islands -------> October 10, 2009
• France vs. Austria ---------------> October 14, 2009

French Team History

The French National Football Team was created in 1904, a few months after the creation of FIFA. Their first game was a 3-3 draw against Belgium in 1904. In 1919, right after WWI, the French Football Federation (FFF) was created. Since then, FFF has been taking care of the official squad's selection.

In 1930, French player Lucien Laurent scored the first ever World Cup goal. In 1938, France hosted their first World Cup, and reached the quarter-finals. Les Bleus have been reflected the ethnic diversity of the country for a long time. Raoul Diagne was the first black player to be part of the French national team and earned his first cap in 1931!

France's best competition after WWII was the 1958 World Cup, finishing at the third place of the tournament. They lost in semi-final against Brazil, after Pele scored a hat-trick. During that tournament, French striker Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in 6 games, and his record for most goals scored in a single World Cup tournament has yet to be beaten. At that time, France used mostly players from Stade de Reims, which was one of the best European clubs. 2 years later, the first European Championship was hosted in France, and Les Bleus reached the semi-finals, but lost against Yugoslavia.

France had to wait until the 80s and the Platini era to come back at their best level. They finished fourth of the 1982 World Cup, losing against West Germany in semi-final. With this new generation composed by player such as Platini, Giresse, Tigana, Fernandez, Les Bleus won their first international competition, the 1984 Euro. They beat Spain in final, thanks to Platini who scored a beautiful free-kick. The same year, they won the Olympic Gold in Los Angeles. 2 years later, they were one of the favorite for the 1986 World Cup. They finished third, wining 2-0 over Italy and in the shootout against Brazil. However, France lost, again, against West Germany in semi-final.

Despite players such as Cantona and being the defending champion, France failed to qualify for the 1988 Euro. Despite their new manager Gerard Houiller, and even with the striking partnership of Cantona and Papin, France didn't participate to any final stages in international competitions until the 1996 Euro.

In 1994, Aime Jacquet was made the manager of the national team, but only provisionally. His first move was to name Cantona as the captain in order to rebuild his team for Euro 1996. But, in January 1995, Cantona kicked a Crystal Palace fan and was suspended for a year. Therefore, Jacquet had no choice but to make important changes in his team. He built his team around Zinedine Zidane, who had made his debut in 1994 against Czech Republic. Jacquet dropped Cantona, Papin and Ginola and chose to trust the new generation of French players, despite critics. France qualified for the 1996 Euro and even reached the semi-finals, before being eliminated in a penalty shootout against Czech Republic. It was France's best result since the 1986 World Cup. A new generation was born, the generation of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Fabien Barthez, a generation of Champions!

France was hosting the 1998 World Cup. Before the beginning of the competition, critics were attacking manager Aime Jacquet, saying that he was not the right man to lead France to victory. In fact, Jacquet was about to revolution French football.

In the group stage, they won 3-0 over South Africa, 4-0 over Saudi Arabia and 2-1 over Denmark and were qualified for the final stage. In the round of 16, they had an intense match against Paraguay, playing without Zidane who was suspended. Laurent Blanc scored a golden goal in the last seconds of the extra-time. They won the quarter-final against Italy in a penalty shootout. For the first time in the competition, France fell behind to Croatia in the semi-finals, but French defender Lilian Thuram scored two goals in 10 minutes, his first two and only goals in the national team so far! France played against Brazil in the World Cup Final, the first of their history. In the first half, Zidane scored 2 headed goals from France's corner kicks. Despite defender Dessailly getting sent off, it was impossible for Brazil to find the net. At the end of the second half, Emanuel Petit added a third goal and sealed France's victory.

On July 12, 1998, France won their first World Cup, and about 1.5 million people took the streets of Paris to celebrate! Jacquet stepped down and was succeeded by Roger Lemerre.

France confirmed their status of best team in the world in the 2000 Euro. In the group stage, they won against Denmark and Czech Republic, but lost against Netherlands. They finished second of their group, and were qualified for the final stage. In the quarter-final against Spain, Zidane scored an amazing free-kick and in the semi-final against Portugal, he scored a golden goal penalty in the last minutes of the match, leading his team to the final. France defeated Italy 2-1, after Wiltord scored the equalizing goal 30 seconds before the end of the game, and Trezeguet scored an amazing volley golden goal in the extra-time. France was the first team to hold both the World Cup and Euro titles, and were ranking 1st in the 2001-2002 FIFA World Rankings system. Zidane was named UEFA Player of the Tournament.

Then, France failed to maintain their status of best team in the world. They were eliminated from the 2002 World Cup in the group stage, losing against Senegal and Denmark. At that time, playmaker Zidane was injured. Les Bleus didn’t score a single goal, and it was the first time in World Cup history that the defending champions were not qualified for the final stage. Lemerre was dismissed, and replaced by Jacques Santini.

In order to forget what happened in 2002, France had to impress in the 2004 Euro. Their first game was against England, which they won thanks to Zidane, who scored 2 goals in the last 5 minutes of the game. After a 2-2 draw against Croatia, France won 3-1 over Switzerland, and were qualified for the final stage. However, they lost against Greece, who will eventually win the tournament, in the quarter-finals. Santini resigned and was replaced by Raymond Domenech.

France was struggling to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and Domenech had to call Zidane, Makelele and Thuram back from international retirement, to help their national team. Thanks to them, France was qualified, but most people were saying that despite the return of the three stars, its squad was too old to be competitive.

In the group stage, France had a slow beginning, after managing 0-0 and 1-1 draws against Switzerland and South Korea. They won their last game 2-0 over Togo, and were qualified for the knockout round: it was France’s first successful World Cup qualification since 1986 (they hosted it in 1998 and were the defending champions in 2002)! Moreover, they broke the “2002 curse”.

France finally found their form and confidence. They won 3-1 over Spain, one of the competition’s favorite and advanced to the quarter-finals. They were opposed to defending champions Brazil, and won the game 1-0 after Henry scored in the second half. The game made France the first team to have shut out the five-time champions in consecutive matches, Les Bleus now have a 2-1-1 all-time record against Brazil in World Cup finals play, having shut the Seleção out in the last three meetings. In the semi-finals, Zidane scored a penalty and France won 1-0 over Portugal. Nobody could believe that France was in final, and there were mass celebrations all over the country. In the final against Italy, Zidane scored the first goal on a penalty, and Materazzi equalized for Italy. At the end of normal time, the teams were level at 1-1. But, in the extra-time, Zidane took a red card for headbutting defender Materazzi. The game went on to the penalty shootout, and France lost 5-3 after Trezeguet missed his penalty. Italy was crowned 2006 World Champions, their 4th World Cup title. Zidane retired from international football and was named FIFA Player of the Tournament and won the Golden Ball.

Only 2 months after the 2006 World Cup final, France started its qualifying round for Euro 2008. They won their first game by beating Georgia 3-0. On September 6, 2006, France exploded Italy 3-1 in Paris. They lost only 2 qualifying games, both against Scotland, and they are qualified for the knockout round. They are now in Group C with Italy, Netherlands and Romania, which is considered as the hardest group of the competition. Actually, France is one of the 2008 Euro’s favourite. They have a competitive new generation with players such as Ribery, Benzema, Toulalan, Nasri, Ben Harfa…

Despite high expectations from followers of Les Bleus, the squad made a stuttering start to the 2008 European Championships, drawing 0-0 to Romania in Zurich and then finishing on the receiving end of a 4-1 mauling at the hands of the Netherlands in Berne. France continued to play poorly and when they lost 2-0 to Italy, they came last of their group and failed to get to the quarterfinals. France's performance at Euro 2008 effectively marked the end of its golden era stemming back to the team's World Cup win on home soil in 1998

World Cup 2002

Goalkeepers Fabien Barthez (Manchester United, England), Ulrich Rame (Bordeaux), Gregory Coupet (Lyon)

Defenders Vincent Candela (Roma, Italy), Marcel Desailly (Chelsea, England), Frank Leboeuf (Marseille), Lilian Thuram (Juventus, Italy), Mikael Silvestre (Manchester United, England), Bixente Lizarazu (Bayern Munich, Germany), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich, Germany), Philippe Christanval (Barcelona, Spain)

Midfielders Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, England), Emmanuel Petit (Chelsea, England), Youri Djorkaeff (Bolton, England), Alain Boghossian (Parma, Italy), Johan Micoud (Parma, Italy), Claude Makelele (Real Madrid, Spain), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid, Spain)

Strikers Christophe Dugarry (Bordeaux), Sylvain Wiltord (Arsenal, England), David Trezeguet (Juventus, Italy), Thierry Henry (Arsenal, England), Djibril Cisse (Auxerre)

Stars of the Current Squad

Thierry Henry is one of the best strikers in the world. He played for Arsenal from 1999 to 2007, scoring a total of 226 goals in 369 appearances with 86 assists! On June 25, 2007, he signed a four-year contract with Barcelona for a £16.1 million fee.

Henry started his international career on June 1997 with the Under-20 French National Team and played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. On October 13th, 2007, he joined Michel Platini as the country's top goal scorer of all time by scoring his 41st goal against Faeroe Islands. Four days later, he scored 2 goals against Lithuania and set a new record!

Since he started to play with his national team, Henry has earned 98 caps and scored 44 goals!

Lilian Thuram holds the record for the most capped player for France since June 2006 with 137 caps, and has been part of Les Bleus since 1994. He has only scored two international goals, both of which came in the 1998 World Cup semi-final against Croatia. He is the key in France’s defense!

After winning the Scudetto twice with Juventus, he was transferred to Barcelona in 2006. The 35 years old player is recognized all over the world as one of the best international defender and will be one of France’s playmaker in the 2008 Euro.

Patrick Viera is a midfielder who currently plays for Internazionale. Between 1996 and 2005, he played for Arsenal, wining 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups and was the team captain. In 2005, he was transferred to Juventus. However, after the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, Juventus were relegated in Serie B and Viera moved to Internazionale.

Viera made his debut for France in 1997 against Netherlands. Captain of the French national team since 2006, he has appeared 104 times for France, scoring 6 goals.

Franck Ribery started his professional career in 2004 with the French club FC Metz. Runner-up of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he is known for his acceleration and became in only 1 year the successor of Zidane. After 2 amazing seasons playing for Marseille, he was transferred to Bayern Munich in 2007 for a €26 million fee. Despite his young age, Ribery is a big hope for France, and has a great potential.

Coach : Raymond Domenech Domenech succeeded to Jacques Santini as France Head coach after Euro 2004. France was struggling to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and Domenech had to call Zidane, Makelele and Thuram back from international retirement, to help the national team. His choices have always been surprising. His first international competition was the 2006 World Cup, in which Les Bleus finished runner-up. Since the retirement of experienced players such as Zidane, Domenech trusts the new generation, the young French players.

Team Legends

Zinedine Zidane is one of the most skilled and technical players, a team leader. He can distribute any kind of pass in any circumstances. Three times FIFA World Player of the Year ( 1998, 2000, 2003 ), European footballer of the Year (1998), best player of the 2006 World Cup, Zizou was also the captain of the French team and won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Also well-known for his short temper, he ended his international career after he took a red card during the 2006 World Cup final for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Marcel Desailly is one of the best French defender ever. He started his international career in 1994, but became a regular only in 1996. He won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 Euro with France, and was the center of the “French Wall” with Thuram. He won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993 and Milan in 1994, played for Milan from 1994 to 1998, and then for Chelsea until 2004. He announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2004, and left with a record of 116 caps, and was the captain of the team from 2000 to 2004.

Fabien Barthez is well-known for his eccentric behavior, his taunting dribbles and step-over past opposing strikers, and most importantly, his remarkable reaction saves. He played in his national team from 1994 to 2006, having a personal record of 87 caps. In the 1998 World Cup, the Barthez-Blanc head-kissing ritual was performed at the start of the matches and was the lucky-charm of France. He won the 1993 Champions League with Marseille, and after his great performance at the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 Euro, he was transferred to Manchester United and performed brilliantly throughout the seasons, becoming a crowd favourite. In 2003, he left Manchester and came back to France. He played for Marseille and Nantes. He retired from football in 2007, after several trials in different French clubs.

Just Fontaine is a former striker. He holds the record for most goals scored in a single World Cup tournament with 13 realizations in the 1958 World Cup. In seven years, he scored 30 goals in 21 matches for the national team. He played for OGC Nice and Stade de Reims, scoring 164 goals in 200 appearances with those 2 clubs! He retired in July 1962 because of a recurring injury. Fontaine was chosen as the best French player of the last 50 years by the FFF (French Football Federation).

Michel Platini is a former amazing midfielder. He won the 1984 Euro and was named Best Player of the Tournament and was also the top scorer. He led France to the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Platini, Giresse, Tigana and Fernandez formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s, the “magic square”. He scored 41 goals in 72 appearances, and was the the country's top goal scorer of all time until Henry beat it in 2007. He played for Nancy, Saint-Etienne and Juventus. He was voted Player of the Year by World Soccer magazine in 1984 and 1985. Platini retired in 1987. Currently, he is president of the UEFA, and vice-president of the FFF.

Most International Matches Played

Most Appearances

Most Goals

Player Recognition & Awards

Zinédine 'Zidane'

• FIFA Player of the Year – 1998, 2000, 2003
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball – 2006

Just Fontaine

• FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe – 1958

Michel Platini

• European Championship player of the tournament – 1984
• European Footballer of the Year – 1984, 1985
• FIFA World Player of the Year – 1984, 1985

Barthez

• Yashin award – 1998

Team Honours

UEFA Euro - European Championships Record

• 1960 : 4th place
• 1964-1980 : did not qualify
• 1984 : winners
• 1988 : did not qualify
• 1992 : Round 1
• 1996 : semi-finals
• 2000 : winners
• 2004 : quarter-finals
• 2008 : Round 1

Management

Head Coach : Raymond Domenech

Assistant Coach : Pierre Mankowski

Goalkeeping coach : Bruno Martini

Uniforms

Home: blue shirt with white trim, white shorts

Away: red sshirt with white trim, blue shorts

Important Links

• http://www.fff.fr
• http://www.fff.fr/bleus/index.shtml
• http://www.frenchleague.com/indexSite.asp
• http://francefootball.fr/

References