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France will appear in their 13th FIFA World Cup this summer and Les Blues will hope to add to the solitary trophy that sits in their cabinet. After winning the World Cup on home soil in 1998, France had a poor 2002 campaign when they failed to get past the first round. They were surprise finalists in the last edition in Germany and despite dominating most of the game lost out on penalties to Italy after their talisman Zinedine Zidane foolishly head-butted an opponent and was promptly sent off. Besides these, they have also managed two third-place finishes in 1958 and 1986.
France, ranked 10th in the FIFA rankings are favourites from Group A where they find themselves alongisde hosts South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay. Both Mexico and Uruguay are tough opponents on their day with quality international stars in their squads. South Africa could also be in the mix considering the massive support they have behind them.
France will be looking to hit back at the critics following the controversey surrounding their World Cup qualification with their performances on the pitch. The French had a harrowing qualifying campaign were the ended as runners up in their Group behind Serbia. They drew the Republic of Ireland in the play-offs and won the away tie 1-0 but lost 1-0 at home. The match went into extra time, and a moment of madness from legendary French striker Thierry Henry, saw France qualify under very dubious circumstances after the referee missed a blatant handball.
France took part in Euro 2008 co-hosted by Switzerland and Austria. Raymond Domenech's men had a dismal campaign as they drew 1 and lost 2 of their 3 group games thereby failing to qualify for the knockout rounds. They scored just 1 goal and conceded 6 in those 3 games. Thrashings from the Dutch and the Italians sealed the team's fate and they were ranked second last in the competition.
Les Blues open their campaign against Uruguay and the game is extremely essential for them to set the momentum for rest of the tournament. In Mexico, France have an opponent raring to make a mark on the International stage. If France gets 4 points from the first two encounters, qualification should be in their hands.
Key Players:
Thierry Henry - At 32 years of age, the leading goal scorer and second most capped player for France still has a big role to play. Though Henry hasn't been a regular starter for his club and might not be the same player he used to be a few years ago, he's still is considered to be one of the best strikers ever to grace the football field. Apart from his clinical finishing in front of goal, he is expected to inspire and motivate the young Les Blues brigade to take them in search of the ultimate prize.
Franck Ribery - Hailed as the new talisman following Zinedine Zidane's retirement, the tenacious midfielder has recently been on the wrong end of a string of unfortunate injuries. After missing the UEFA Champions League final, Ribery should be more inspired than ever to put on a show.
Hugo Lloris - The young goalkeeper has slowly and steadily become one of the premier talents in Europe achieving multitudes of plaudits at a very tender age. He is a two time best goalkeeper of Ligue 1 award winner and his performances against teams like Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League have shown signs of maturity as well.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Olympique Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Girondins Bordeaux)
Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla), Marc Planus (Girondins Bordeaux), Gaël Clichy (Arsenal), Anthony Reveillere (Olympique Lyon)
Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Girondins Bordeaux), Jeremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Yoann Gourcuff (Girondins Bordeaux), Abou Diaby (Arsenal)
Forwards: Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon), Djibril Cisse (Panathinaikos), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique Marseille)
Top Goal Scorers: Thierry Henry (51), Nicolas Anelka (14)
Most Capped Players: Thierry Henry (118), Nicolas Anelka (64)
Head Coach: Raymond Domenech
Form Guide: (DWLDW)Nov 14, Ireland 0-1 France
Nov 18, France 1-1 Ireland
Mar 03, France 0-2 Spain
May 26, France 2-1 Costa Rica
May 30, Tunisia 1-1 France
Fixtures:
11-Jun: Uruguay vs. France 7:30pm (GMT) - Match Report
17-Jun: France vs. Mexico 7:30pm (GMT) - Match Report
22-Jun: France vs. South Africa 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
Team Trivia
Frenchman Just Fontaine holds the record for scoring the maximum goals in a World Cup tournament. Fontaine scored 13 goals in 1958.
Also Read:
Group Competitior Previews: Uruguay, Mexico, South Africa
File Photograph Copyright: Ryu Voelkel
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