FIFA World Cup 2006 - Meet the French Squad

Rank 8
Group G
World Cup Appearances 11
Best Performance Won(1998)
In 2002 Round 1

How ironical is it? For 76 years the World Cup Trophy has borne the name of a Frenchman (Jules Rimet) but the French have laid hands on it just once.

On 12th July 1998, a 26-year-old from Marseille (Zinedine Zidane) became the toast of the nation when he scored the two most important goals of his life that yielded the great nation of France its first World Cup. On that night, the might of Brazil were made to look ordinary by Les Bleus as they cantered home to a 3-0 victory at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. Zinedine Zidane netted in two first half goals and then Petit Emmanuel hit the final nail in Brazil's coffin with his 90th minute strike. A million ecstatic Frenchmen and women danced all night long on the famous Champs Elysees in Paris.

Two years later, similar scenes were unfolded at Rotterdam when France defeated Italy 2-1 to win the EURO 2000. There were no doubts as to who were the kings of world football.

The win at the '98 World Cup was indeed a reward for a nation that has produced greats like Fontaine, Platini, and Giresse but never clinched the Jules Rimet Trophy.

Four years later, the French came to Korea-Japan to defend their title but got knocked out in the first round. So disappointing were the French that they became the first defending champions to bow out of the tournament without scoring a single goal. Similar stories unfolded at EURO 2004, when they lost to Greece in the quarter-finals. From being Kings of world football, the French were reduced to paupers.

Qualifying for the 2006 World Cup was never a problem but Raymond Domenech's men were far from impressive in their qualification campaign. France topped their group with 20 points from 10 games that included 5 wins and an equal number of draws. Though they remained undefeated, the two drawn games against lowly-ranked Israel were very disappointing. Their failure to beat Switzerland too was a let down. To add insult to injury, the Bleus suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Slovakia in a friendly in March, 2006.

In Germany, it would be fair to say that France don't start as the outright favourites but they cannot be written off completely. Raymond Domenech's side is filled with some of the best players in the world. In Arsenal's Thierry Henry, France have the best striker in Europe. With an ageing Zidane struggling with form, Henry is expected to play the pivotal role for his side. In addition to Henry, France have the services of seasoned striker David Trezeguet and the young Luis Saha of Manchester United. The likes of Gallas, Sagnol and Silvestre will don the defensive duties but with Thuram coming out of retirement, the French defence looks a lot more solid. France's captain Vieira alongwith Zidane will play the key role in midfield. Goalkeeping is one area where the French will be worried as Fabien Barthez continues to be an enigma. At times he is brilliant and at times he's ordinary. However, Raymond Domanech will hope that 'Germany 2006' will be the time when Barthez and all his mates produce a brilliant performance. If the Bleus put in a brilliant display at Germany, then a million ecstatic Frenchmen and women will once again be dancing all night long on the famous Champs Elysees in Paris.

Squad:

Goalkeepers :Fabien Barthez, Gregory Coupet, Mickael Landreau.

Defenders :Eric Abidal, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Pascal Chimbonda, William Gallas, Gael Givet, Willy Sagnol, Mikael Silvestre, Lilian Thuram.

Midfielders :Vikash Dhorasoo, Alou Diarra, Claude Makelele, Florent Malouda, Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane.

Forwards :Djibril Cisse, Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, Louis Saha, David Trezeguet, Sylvain Wiltord.

Courtesy of 2006 FIFA World Cup