France playing on their home soil and winning the 1998 World Cup was heroic. It was a joy for the fans to watch them play ravishing football. That team was full of star-studded icons including Zinedine Zidan, Didier Deschamps, Thiery Henry, Patrick Vieira, and more so.
Another FIFA World Cup final is just around the corner. Deschamps and his team will take on Argentina in a high-voltage match. It’s time to bring back the memory of the legendary France squad that won the World Cup in 1998.
Zinedine Zidane
France has many stars, but Zinedine Zidane is unrivaled. He is among the best the world has ever seen. Zidane was the French national team’s talisman and an attacking midfielder for Real Madrid and Juventus.
He left his mark on the Final by scoring two goals against Brazil. He also scored in the quarter-final penalty shootout against Italy. He helped Real Madrid winning three consecutive UCL titles as manager.
Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps was the France captain and leader. He played as a defensive midfielder in Juventus.
After the 1998 World Cup, Deschamps left football to become a manager. He is the current manager of the France national team, a position he has held since 2012, after previously managing the French league and his former club Juventus.
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram played for Parma as a defender. In France’s semi-final match against Croatia, he scored two goals. He finished third in the voting for the Golden Ball award, given to the best player in the FIFA World Cup 1998.
Later, Thuram became the most capped player in France national team history. He has been fighting racism in soccer since his playing career ended.
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry was a winger for Monaco and was France’s leading scorer in the tournament. He netted the ball three times, and also scored against Italy in the penalty shootout.
Thereafter, he joined Arsenal and was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. He is currently working as a television pundit. He is also acting as the assistant coach of Belgium National Football Team.
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit was an Arsenal midfielder who scored two goals for France during the World Cup, one of which came in the final.
Petit continued to play for Arsenal, then Barcelona and Chelsea.
Fabien Barthez
France’s goalkeeper was Fabien Barthez. During the World Cup, he received the Yashin Award for Best Goalkeeper.
Soon after the world cup, Barthez later moved to Manchester United, an English powerhouse. He began a career in motorsport after retiring from soccer in 2007.
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly was an A.C. Milan defender who was named to FIFA’s All-Star team.
Later, Desailly joined Chelsea the season after the World Cup. He retired in 2006 but has since worked as a television pundit and has written a series of columns for The Guardian about the 2018 World Cup.
David Trezeguet
David Trezeguet was a Monaco forward who scored in France’s second group stage match.
However, he is best remembered for his golden goal at the Euros two years later, which secured the trophy for France. Around the same time, he moved to Juventus, where he stayed for ten years.
Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu was a Bayern Munich defender who scored in France’s second match of the tournament.
Lizarazu went on to play several more seasons, the majority of which he spent with Bayern Munich. Since retiring, he has pursued interests such as surfing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and, of course, rooting for France on social media during the 2018 World Cup.
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira was an Arsenal midfielder and a Premier League Hall of Fame Inductee.
Vieira went on to captain Arsenal’s illustrious “Invincibles” squad, which went undefeated in the Premier League in 2003-04. After retiring as a player in 2011, he went on to become a manager, and he is now the manager of Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
