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France national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see France women's national football team.

France
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Les Bleus (The Blues)
Les Tricolores (The Tri-colors)
AssociationFédération Française
de Football
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachLaurent Blanc
CaptainVacant[1][2]
Most capsLilian Thuram (142)
Top scorerThierry Henry (51)
Home stadiumStade de France
FIFA codeFRA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current15
Highest1 (May 2001 – May 2002)
Lowest27 (September 2010)
First international
 Belgium 3–3 France France
(Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904)
Biggest win
France France 10–0 Azerbaijan 
(Auxerre, France; 6 September 1995)
Biggest defeat
 Denmark 17–1 France France
(London, England; 22 October 1908)
World Cup
Appearances13 (first in 1930)
Best resultWinners, 1998
European Championship
Appearances7 (first in 1960)
Best resultWinners, 1984 and 2000
Confederations Cup
Appearances2 (first in 2001)
Best resultWinners, 2001 and 2003
Medal record
Men's Football
Silver medal – second place 1900 Paris Team
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Team

The France national football team (Template:Lang-fr) represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation (Template:Lang-fr), the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe. The national team's traditional colours are blue, white and red, the colors of the national flag of France, known as the drapeau tricolore, and the coq gaulois is the symbol of the team. France is colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the name associated with all of the country's sporting national teams, due to the blue shirts each team incorporates.

France played its first official match in 1904, and today primarily plays its home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. The national team has won one FIFA World Cup title, two UEFA European Football Championships, an Olympic tournament, and two FIFA Confederations Cups. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became, along with Argentina, the only national teams to win the three most important men's titles organized by FIFA. France has a strong rivalry with neighbours Italy, and has historically also had important rivalries with Belgium, Brazil, England, and Germany.

The national team has experienced much of its success during three major "golden generations": in the 1950s, 1980s, and 1990s, which resulted in numerous major honours. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and, although having been eliminated in the qualification stage six times, is one of only three teams that have entered every World Cup cycle.[3] In 1958, the team, led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, finished in third place at the FIFA World Cup. In 1984, France, led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, won UEFA Euro 1984. Under the leadership of Didier Deschamps and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, France became one of eight national teams to win the FIFA World Cup in 1998 when it hosted the tournament. Two years later, the team triumphed again in UEFA Euro 2000 and became the top team in the FIFA World Rankings for the first time. France has since added a pair of Confederations Cup titles, in 2001 and 2003, as well as an appearance in the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which it lost 5–3 on penalties to Italy.

Following the team's disastrous 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign, a major reconstruction within the federation resulted in the resignation of president Jean-Pierre Escalettes and the appointment of former international Laurent Blanc as manager. After dropping to 27th in the FIFA World Rankings in September 2010, its lowest ranking ever, France is currently ranked 15th.

History

Main article: History of the France national football team

The France national football team was created in 1904 around the time of FIFA's foundation on 21 May 1904 and contested its first official international match on 1 May 1904 against Belgium, in Brussels, which ended in a 3–3 draw.[4] The following year, on 12 February 1905, France contested their first ever home match against Switzerland. The match was played at the Parc des Princes in front of 500 supporters. France won the match 1–0 with the only goal coming from Gaston Cyprès. Due to disagreements between FIFA and the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), the country's sports union, France struggled to establish an identity, On 9 May 1908, the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), a rival organization to the USFSA, ruled that FIFA would now be responsible for the club's appearances in forthcoming Olympics Games and not the USFSA. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into the French Football Federation. In 1921, the USFSA finally merged with the French Football Federation.

File:RKopa.jpg
Raymond Kopa was integral to the French team of the 1950s.

In July 1930, France appeared in the inaugural FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. In their first-ever World Cup match, France defeated Mexico 4–1 at the Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo. Lucien Laurent became notable in the match as he scored not only France's first World Cup goal, but the first goal in World Cup history. France later lost 1–0 to fellow group stage opponents Argentina and Chile resulting in the team bowing out in the group stage. The following year saw the first selection of a black player to the national team. Raoul Diagne, who was of Senegalese descent, earned his first cap on 15 February in a 2–1 defeat to Czechoslovakia. Diagne later played with the team at the 1938 FIFA World Cup, alongside Larbi Benbarek, who was one of the first players of North African origin to play for the national team. At the 1934 FIFA World Cup, France suffered elimination in the opening round, losing 3–2 to Austria. On the team's return to Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters. France hosted the 1938 FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals losing 3–1 to the defending champions Italy.

The 1950s saw France handed its first Golden Generation composed of players such as Just Fontaine, Raymond Kopa, Jean Vincent, Robert Jonquet, Maryan Wisnieski, Thadée Cisowski, and Armand Penverne. At the 1958 FIFA World Cup, France reached the semi-finals losing to Brazil. In the third place match, France defeated West Germany 6–2 with Fontaine recording four goals, which brought his goal tally in the competition to 13, a World Cup record. The record still stands today. France hosted the inaugural UEFA European Football Championship in 1960 and, for the second straight international tournament, reached the semi-finals. In the round, France faced Yugoslavia and were shocked 5–4 despite being up 4–2 heading into the 75th minute. In the third-place match, France were defeated 2–0 by the Czechoslovakians.

The 1960s and 70s saw France decline significantly playing under several different managers and failing to qualify for numerous international tournaments. On 25 April 1964, Henri Guérin was officially installed as the team's first manager. Under Guérin, France failed to qualify for the 1962 FIFA World Cup and the 1964 European Nations' Cup. The team did return to major international play following qualification for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The team lost in the group stage portion of the tournament. Guérin was fired following the World Cup. He was replaced by José Arribas and Jean Snella, who worked as caretaker managers in dual roles. The two only lasted four matches and were replaced by former international Just Fontaine, who only lasted two. Louis Dugauguez succeeded Fontaine and, following his early struggles in qualification for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, was fired and replaced by Georges Boulogne, who could not get the team to the competition. Boulogne was later fired following his failure to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and was replaced by the Romanian Stefan Kovacs, who became the first and only international manager to ever manage the national team. Kovács also turned out to be a disappointment failing to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1976. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced with Michel Hidalgo.

Michel Platini captained France to victory at UEFA Euro 1984.

Under Hidalgo, France flourished, mainly due to the accolades of playmaker Michel Platini, who, alongside Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse, and Luis Fernández formed the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), which would haunt opposing defenses beginning at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals losing on penalties to rivals West Germany. The semi-final match-up is considered one of the greatest matches in World Cup history and was marred with controversy.[5] France earned their first major international honor two years later, winning UEFA Euro 1984, which they hosted. Under the leadership of Platini, who scored a tournament-high nine goals, France defeated Spain 2–0 in the final. Platini and Bruno Bellone scored the goals. Following the Euro triumph, Hidalgo departed the team and was replaced by former international Henri Michel. France later completed the hat-trick when they won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics football tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 to win the Artemio Franchi Trophy, an early precursor to the FIFA Confederations Cup. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. At the 1986 FIFA World Cup, France were favorites to win the competition, and, for the second consecutive World Cup, reached the semi-finals where they faced West Germany. Again, however, they lost. A 4–2 victory over Belgium gave France third place.

Didier Deschamps captained the French team that won both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000.

In 1988, the French Football Federation opened the Clairefontaine National Football Institute. Its opening ceremony was attended by then-President of France, François Mitterrand. Five months after Clairefontaine's opening, manager Henri Michel was fired and was replaced by Michel Platini, who failed to get the team to the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Platini did lead the team to UEFA Euro 1992 and, despite going on a 19-match unbeaten streak prior to the competition, suffered elimination in the group stage. A week after the completion of the tournament, Platini stepped down as manager and was replaced by his assistant Gérard Houllier. Under Houllier, France and its supporters experienced a heartbreaking meltdown after having qualification to the 1994 FIFA World Cup all but secured with two matches to go, which were against last place Israel and Bulgaria. In the match against Israel, France were upset 3–2 and, in the Bulgaria match, suffered an astronomical 2–1 defeat. The subsequent blame and public outcry to the firing of Houllier and departure of several players from the national team fold. His assistant Aimé Jacquet was given his post.

Under Jacquet, the national team experienced its triumphant years. The squad composed of veterans that failed to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup were joined by influential youngsters. The team started off well reaching the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1996 where they lost 6–5 on penalties to the Czech Republic. In the team's next major tournament at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Jacquet led France to glory defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final at the Stade de France. Jacquet stepped down after the country's World Cup triumph and was succeeded by assistant Roger Lemerre who guided them through UEFA Euro 2000. Led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zidane, France defeated Italy 2–1 in the final. Trezeguet scored the golden goal in extra time. The victory gave the team the distinction of being the first national team to hold both the World Cup and Euro titles since West Germany did so in 1974, and it was also the first time that a reigning World Cup winner went on to capture the Euro. Following the result, France were inserted to the number one spot in the FIFA World Rankings.

Zinedine Zidane at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

France failed to maintain that pace in subsequent tournaments. Although, the team won the Confederations Cup in 2001, France suffered a stunning goalless first round elimination at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. One of the greatest shocks in World Cup history saw France condemned to a 1–0 defeat to debutantes Senegal in the opening game of the tournament. After France finished bottom of the group, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced by Jacques Santini. A full strength team started out strongly in UEFA Euro 2004, but they were upset in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners Greece. Santini resigned as coach and Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement. France struggled in the early qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade several past members out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a convincing 4–0 win over Cyprus on the final day of qualifying. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, France finished undefeated in the group stage portion and advanced all the way to the final defeating the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Portugal along the way. France took on Italy in the final and despite controversial disruptions in extra time, France failed to get on the score-sheet and Italy 5–3 on penalties to be crowned champions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

France started its qualifying round for UEFA Euro 2008 strong and qualified for the tournament, despite two shocking defeats to Scotland. France bowed out during the group stage portion of the tournament after having been placed in the group of death. Just like the team's previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the 2010 campaign got off to a disappointing start with France suffering disastrous losses and earning uninspired victories. France eventually finished second in the group and earned a spot in the UEFA play-offs against the Republic of Ireland for a place in South Africa. In the first leg, France defeated the Irish 1–0 and in the second leg procured a 1–1 draw, via controversial circumstances, to qualify for the World Cup.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, France continued to perform under expectations and were eliminated in the group stage. Midway through the competition, striker Nicolas Anelka was dismissed from the national team after reportedly having a dispute, in which obscenities were passed, with team manager Raymond Domenech during half-time of the team's loss to Mexico.[6][7] The resulting disagreement over Anelka's seclusion between the players, the coaching staff, and federation officials resulted in the team boycotting training.[8][9][10] The negative publicity the national team received during the competition led to further repercussions back in France. The day after the team's elimination, it was reported by numerous media outlets that the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy would meet with team captain Thierry Henry to discuss the issues associated with the team's meltdown at the World Cup. The meeting was requested by Henry.[11] Following the completion of the competition, federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned from his position. Domenech was also let go and former international Laurent Blanc was inserted as his replacement. On 23 July 2010, on the request of Blanc, the federation suspended all 23 players in the World Cup squad for the team's friendly match after the World Cup against Norway.[12] On 6 August, five players who were deemed to have played a major role in the 2010 FIFA World Cup training boycott were disciplined for their roles.[13][14]

Home stadium

Main articles: Stade de France, Parc des Princes, and Clairefontaine
File:Panorama stade de France.jpg
Panorama view of the Stade de France, France's national stadium.

During France's early run of existence, the team's national stadium alternated between the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. France also hosted matches at the Stade Pershing, Stade de Paris, and the Stade Buffalo, but to a minimal degree. As the years moved forward, France began hosting matches outside the city of Paris at such venues as the Stade Marcel Saupin in Nantes, the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, and the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, to name a few. Following the renovation of the Parc des Princes in 1972, which made the stadium the largest in terms of capacity in Paris, France moved into the venue permanently. The team still hosted friendly matches and minor FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship qualification matches at other venues.

In 1998, the Stade de France was inaugurated as France's national stadium ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Located in Saint-Denis, a Parisian suburb, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 81,338. France's first match at the stadium was played on 28 January 1998 against Spain. France won the match 1–0, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal. Since that match, France has used the stadium for almost every major home game.

Prior to matches, home or away, the national team train and situate at the Clairefontaine academy in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines. Clairefontaine is the national association football centre and is among twelve élite academies throughout the country. The center was inaugurated in 1976 by former federation president Fernand Sastre and opened in 1988. The center drew media spotlight following its usage as a base camp by the team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Team image

Media coverage

The national team currently has a broadcasting agreement with TF1 Group, who control the country's main national TV channel, TF1. The current agreement was set to expire following the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On 18 December 2009, the Federal Council of the French Football Federation agreed to extend its exclusive broadcasting agreement with the channel. The new deal grants the channel exclusive broadcast rights for the matches of national team, which include friendlies and international games for the next four seasons beginning in August 2010 and ending in June 2014. TF1 will also have extended rights, notably on the Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program, Téléfoot.[15] The federation will receive €45 million a season, a €10 million decrease from the €55 million they received from the previous agreement reached in 2006.[16]

Kit

France's Zinedine Zidane number 10 home shirt, as made by Adidas

The France national team utilizes a three colour system, composed of colors blue, white and red. The team's three colors originate from the national flag of France, known as the drapeau tricolore. France have brandished the colors since their first official international match against Belgium in 1904. Since the team's inception, France normally wear blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks at home, while, when on the road, the team utilizes an all-white combination or wear red shirts, blue shorts, and blue socks with the former being the most current. Between the years 1909–1914, France wore a white shirt with blue stripes, white shorts, and red socks. In a 1978 World Cup match against Hungary in Mar del Plata, both teams arrived at Estadio José María Minella with white kits, so France played in green-and-white striped shirts borrowed from Club Atlético Kimberley.[17]

Beginning in 1972, France reached an agreement with German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas to be the team's kit provider. Over the next 38 years, the two would maintain a healthy relationship with France winning UEFA Euro 1984, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2000 while wearing the brand's famous tricolour three stripes. On 22 February 2008, the French Football Federation announced that they were ending their partnership with Adidas and signing with the American manufacturer Nike, effective 1 January 2011. The unprecedented deal is valued at €320 million over seven years (2011–2018) making France's blue shirt the most expensive ever in the history of football.[18][19]

Kit history

World Cup 1958
World Cup 1962
World Cup 1978
World Cup 1978
Euro 84
Euro 92
World Cup 1998 Home
World Cup 1998 Away
World Cup 2006
(2008 - 2009)
World Cup 2010

Nickname

France is often referred to by the media and supporters as Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts each team incorporates. The team is also referred to as Les Tricolores or L'Equipe Tricolore (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: red, blue, and white. During the 1980s, France earned the nickname the "Brazilians of Europe" mainly due to the accolades of the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), who were anchored by Michel Platini. Led by coach Michel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful, and technically advanced offensive style of football, which was strikingly similar to their South American counterparts.[20]

Representing multi-ethnic France

The France national team has long reflected the ethnic diversity of the country. The first black player to play in the national team was Raoul Diagne in 1931. Diagne was the son of the first African elected to the French National Assembly, Blaise Diagne. Seven years later, Diagne played on the 1938 FIFA World Cup team that featured Larbi Benbarek, Abdelkader Ben Bouali, and Michel Brusseaux, who were the first players of North African descent to play for the national team. At the 1958 FIFA World Cup, in which France reached the semi-finals, many sons of immigrants such as Raymond Kopa, Just Fontaine, Roger Piantoni, Maryan Wisnieski and Bernard Chiarelli were integral to the team's success. The tradition has since continued with successful French players such as Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, Manuel Amoros, Eric Cantona, Patrick Vieira, David Trezeguet, Claude Makélélé, Samir Nasri, Hatem Ben Arfa, and Karim Benzema all having either one or both of their parents foreign-born.

During the 1990s, the team was widely celebrated as an example of the modern multicultural French ideal.[21] The 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning team was celebrated and praised for inspiring pride and optimism about the prospects for the "French model" of social integration.[22] Of the 23 players on the team, the squad featured players who could trace their origins to Armenia, Algeria, Guadeloupe, New Caledonia, Argentina, Ghana, Senegal, Italy, French Guyana, Portugal, Spain, Martinique and the Basque Country with the patriarch of the team being Zinédine Zidane, who was born in Marseille to Algerian immigrants.

The multiracial makeup of the team has, at times, provoked controversy. In recent years, critics on the far right of the French political spectrum have taken issue with the proportional under-representation of ethnic white Frenchmen within the team. National Front politician Jean-Marie Le Pen protested in 1998 that the Black, Blanc, Beur team that won the World Cup did not look sufficiently French. In 2002, led by Ghanaian-born Marcel Desailly, the French team unanimously and publicly appealed to the French voting public to reject the presidential candidacy of Le Pen and, instead, return President Jacques Chirac to office. In 2006, Le Pen resumed his criticism charging that coach Raymond Domenech had selected too many black players.[23] In 2005, French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut caused controversy by remarking to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that despite its earlier slogan, "the French national team is in fact black-black-black," and also adding that "France is made fun of all around Europe because of that." He later excused himself from the comments declaring that they were not meant to be offensive.[24]

The Zidane-Materazzi headbutt incident in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final and its aftermath served as a symbol for the larger issue of Europe's struggle to integrate its immigrant population. Even though both players denied racism was involved in the exchange, the international media speculated for days about the presence of a racist element in the provocation from Materazzi observing that the Italian team contained no ethnic minorities.[25][26][27]

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities and come to terms with its colonial past has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match at the Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against Algeria. It was the country's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954–1962, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4–1 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play, which caused play to be suspended. It was never resumed.

On 28 April 2011, French investigative website Mediapart released a story which claimed that the French Football Federation had been attempting to secretly put in place a race-quota system in order to limit the number of dual-citizenship players in its national academies. Quoting a senior figure in the FFF, the organisation was said to have wanted to set a cap of 30% on the number of players of non-white origin by limiting places in the academies in the 12–13 age bracket.[28] The FFF responded by releasing a public statement on its website denying the report stating "none of its elected bodies has been validated, or even contemplated a policy of quotas for the recruitment of its training centers".[29] The federation also announced that it has authorized a full investigation into the matter and, as a result, suspended National Technical Director François Blaquart pending the outcome of the investigation.[30]

On 29 April, national team manager Laurent Blanc, who, in the report, was claimed to have agreed with the decision to implement the quotas, held a personal press conference at the l'Hôtel Le Régent in Bordeaux, in which he also denied the report declaring that he had "not heard of such a project".[31] On the following day, after Mediapart announced that it had a taped audio recording of the November 2010 meeting, Blanc released a statement on the FFF's website in which he apologized for possible offending comments he made during the meeting, while also declaring he was misquoted and denying he was racist stating "I do not withdraw the remarks I made yesterday. I admit that some terms used during a meeting on a sensitive subject can be ambiguous, out of context, and, if in my case, I've hurt some feelings, I apologize. But being suspected of racism or xenophobia, which I am against all forms of discrimination, I do not support it".[32]

Former national team player Lilian Thuram said of the allegations, "Initially I thought this was a joke. I'm so stunned I don't know what to say", while Patrick Vieira declared that the comments Blanc allegedly made at the meeting made were "serious and scandalous". The French government also gave opinions on the matter. President Nicolas Sarkozy was quoted as being "viscerally opposed to any form of quota", while adding "setting quotas would be the end of the Republic". National Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno echoed the president's sentiments, while also demanding that the FFF "shed light" on a report.[33] Blanc was defended by several former players, most notably his 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning teammates Christophe Dugarry, Bixente Lizarazu, Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, and Emmanuel Petit, current players, such as current national team captain Alou Diarra, and external sources, which included Pathé Diba, the president of L’Association Soutien aux Handicapés Africains (Association to Support the Disabled in Africa).[34][35][36][37][38] On 9 May, Blanc gave testimony at a hearing set up by the federation to investigate the quota matter. The next day, the federation cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Coaching staff

As of 1 July 2010.[39]
Laurent Blanc, the current manager of the France national football team.
Position Name Nationality
Manager Laurent Blanc  French
Assistant manager Jean-Louis Gasset  French
Assistant manager Alain Boghossian  French
Goalkeeper coach Franck Raviot  French
Fitness coach Philippe Lambert  French
Doctor Fabrice Bryand  French
Kinesiotherapy Alain Soultanian  French
Kinesiotherapy François Darras  French
Kinesiotherapy Jacques Thébault  French
Managing Director Marino Faccioli  French

Players

For France national team players with at least 20 appearances, see here. For a complete list of French international with a Wikipedia article, see here.

Current squad

The following players were called up to participate in friendly matches against the United States and Belgium that was played on 11 and 15 November 2011, respectively.[40] Defender Éric Abidal was not available for the match against the United States after an agreement was reached between Laurent Blanc and Abidal's domestic club manager Josep Guardiola to allow the player to participate in the team's Copa del Rey match against L'Hospitalet on 9 November.[41] On 8 November, Samir Nasri withdrew from the team after his medical examination upon arrival to camp revealed an injury which would prevent the player from playing in the two friendly matches.[42] Nasri's spot in the team was given to first-time call-up Maxime Gonalons.[43]

Caps and goals as of 15 November 2011, after the match against Belgium.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Hugo Lloris (1986-12-26) 26 December 1986 (age 38) 30 0 France Lyon
16 1GK Steve Mandanda (1985-03-28) 28 March 1985 (age 39) 14 0 France Marseille
23 1GK Cédric Carrasso (1981-12-30) 30 December 1981 (age 42) 1 0 France Bordeaux
2 2DF Mathieu Debuchy (1985-07-28) 28 July 1985 (age 39) 2 0 France Lille
3 2DF Jérémy Mathieu (1983-10-29) 29 October 1983 (age 41) 1 0 Spain Valencia
4 2DF Adil Rami (1985-12-27) 27 December 1985 (age 39) 16 0 Spain Valencia
5 2DF Laurent Koscielny (1985-09-10) 10 September 1985 (age 39) 1 0 England Arsenal
12 2DF Mamadou Sakho (1990-02-13) 13 February 1990 (age 34) 5 0 France Paris Saint-Germain
13 2DF Anthony Réveillère (1979-11-10) 10 November 1979 (age 45) 16 1 France Lyon
22 2DF Éric Abidal (1979-09-11) 11 September 1979 (age 45) 60 0 Spain Barcelona
6 3MF Yohan Cabaye (1986-01-14) 14 January 1986 (age 38) 9 0 England Newcastle United
7 3MF Franck Ribéry (1983-04-07) 7 April 1983 (age 41) 56 7 Germany Bayern Munich
8 3MF Marvin Martin (1988-01-10) 10 January 1988 (age 36) 9 2 France Sochaux
11 3MF Maxime Gonalons (1989-03-10) 10 March 1989 (age 35) 2 0 France Lyon
15 3MF Florent Malouda (1980-06-13) 13 June 1980 (age 44) 73 7 England Chelsea
17 3MF Yann M'Vila (1990-06-29) 29 June 1990 (age 34) 17 1 France Rennes
18 3MF Alou Diarra (1981-07-15) 15 July 1981 (age 43) 37 0 France Marseille
9 4FW Olivier Giroud (1986-09-30) 30 September 1986 (age 38) 2 0 France Montpellier
10 4FW Karim Benzema (1987-12-19) 19 December 1987 (age 37) 42 13 Spain Real Madrid
14 4FW Jérémy Menez (1987-05-07) 7 May 1987 (age 37) 9 0 France Paris Saint-Germain
20 4FW Kévin Gameiro (1987-05-09) 9 May 1987 (age 37) 8 1 France Paris Saint-Germain
21 4FW Loïc Rémy (1987-01-02) 2 January 1987 (age 37) 17 4 France Marseille

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for France within the past 12 months. Players that have retired from the national team and are not available for selection anymore are not displayed.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Patrice Evra (1981-05-15) 15 May 1981 (age 43) 39 0 England Manchester United v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 October 2011
DF Younes Kaboul (1986-01-04) 4 January 1986 (age 38) 5 1 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 October 2011
DF Bacary Sagna (1983-02-14) 14 February 1983 (age 41) 32 0 England Arsenal v.  Albania, 7 October 2011
DF Gaël Clichy (1985-07-26) 26 July 1985 (age 39) 11 0 England Manchester City v.  Chile, 10 August 2011
DF Philippe Mexès (1982-03-30) 30 March 1982 (age 42) 22 1 Italy Milan v.  Croatia, 29 March 2011
MF Samir Nasri (1987-06-27) 27 June 1987 (age 37) 27 3 England Manchester City v.  United States, 11 November 2011
MF Mathieu Valbuena (1984-09-28) 28 September 1984 (age 40) 9 2 France Marseille v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 October 2011
MF Blaise Matuidi (1987-04-09) 9 April 1987 (age 37) 4 0 France Paris Saint-Germain v.  Albania, 7 October 2011
MF Dimitri Payet (1987-03-29) 29 March 1987 (age 37) 3 0 France Lille v.  Chile, 10 August 2011
MF Abou Diaby (1986-05-11) 11 May 1986 (age 38) 15 0 England Arsenal v.  Poland, 9 June 2011
MF Charles N'Zogbia (1986-05-26) 26 May 1986 (age 38) 2 1 England Aston Villa v.  Poland, 9 June 2011
MF Yoann Gourcuff (1986-07-11) 11 July 1986 (age 38) 28 4 France Lyon v.  Croatia, 29 March 2011
FW David Trezeguet (1979-01-15) 15 January 1979 (age 45) 132 49 Argentina River Plate v.  China, 12 January 1999
FW Djibril Cissé (1981-08-12) 12 August 1981 (age 43) 41 9 England Queens Park Rangers v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 October 2011
FW Bafétimbi Gomis (1985-08-06) 6 August 1985 (age 39) 6 2 France Lyon v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 October 2011
FW Guillaume Hoarau (1984-03-05) 5 March 1984 (age 40) 5 0 France Paris Saint-Germain v.  Romania, 6 September 2011

Previous squads

Results

See also: 2011–12 in French football § France

Friendly

11 August 2010 Norway  2–1  France Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo
21:15 CET Huseklepp 51', 71' Report Ben Arfa 48' Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

3 September 2010 Group Stage France  0–1  Belarus Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Report Kislyak 85' Attendance: 76,395
Referee: William Collum (Scotland)
7 September 2010 Group Stage Bosnia and Herzegovina  0–2  France Asim Ferhatović Hase, Sarajevo
21:00 CET Report Benzema 72'
Malouda 78'		 Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
9 October 2010 Group Stage France  2–0  Romania Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Rémy 83'
Gourcuff 90+3'		 Report Attendance: 79,299
Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)
12 October 2010 Group Stage France  2–0  Luxembourg Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz
21:00 CET Benzema 22'
Gourcuff 76'		 Report Attendance: 24,710
Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)

Friendly

17 November 2010 England  1–2  France Wembley Stadium, London
21:00 CET Crouch 86' Report Benzema 16'
Valbuena 55'		 Attendance: 85,495
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)
9 February 2011 France  1–0  Brazil Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Benzema 54' Report Attendance: 79,712
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

25 March 2011 Group Stage Luxembourg  0–2  France Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
21:00 CET Report Mexès 28'
Gourcuff 72'		 Attendance: 8,400
Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (Norway)

Friendly

29 March 2011 France  0–0  Croatia Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Report Referee: Alan Kelly (Republic of Ireland)

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

3 June 2011 Group Stage Belarus  1–1  France Dinamo Stadium, Minsk
20:45 CEST Abidal 20' (o.g.) Report Malouda 22' Attendance: 27,000
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (Spain)

Friendly

6 June 2011 Ukraine  1–4  France Donbass Arena, Donetsk
21:00 CEST Tymoshchuk 53' Report Gameiro 58'
Martin 87', 90+2'
Kaboul 89'		 Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England)
9 June 2011 Poland  0–1  France Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw
21:00 CEST Report N'Zogbia 13' Attendance: 31,000
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
10 August 2011 France  1–1  Chile Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier
21:00 CEST Rémy 19' Report Córdova 77' Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Stuart Attwell (England)

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

2 September 2011 Group Stage Albania  1–2  France Qemal Stafa, Tirana
21:00 CET Bogdani 46' Report Benzema 11'
M'Vila 18'		 Attendance: 15,600
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (Russia)
6 September 2011 Group Stage Romania  0–0  France Stadionul Naţional, Bucharest
20:30 CET Report Attendance: 49,137
Referee: Howard Webb (England)
7 October 2011 Group Stage France  3–0  Albania Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Malouda 11'
Rémy 38'
Réveillère 67'		 Report Attendance: 65,239
Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (Greece)
11 October 2011 Group Stage France  1–1  Bosnia and Herzegovina Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Nasri 77' (pen.) Report Džeko 40' Attendance: 78,467
Referee: Craig Thomson (Scotland)

Friendly

11 November 2011 France  1–0  United States Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Rémy 74' Report Attendance: 70,018
Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (Greece)
15 November 2011 France  0–0  Belgium Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET Report Attendance: 52,825
Referee: Cesar Muniz Fernandez (Spain)

Last updated: 15 November 2011
Source: French Football Federation

Competitive record

Main article: France national football team all-time record
For single-match results of the national team, see French football single-season articles and the team's results page.

FIFA World Cup record

France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in 13 FIFA World Cups, tied for fifth-best. The national team is one of eight national teams to have won at least one FIFA World Cup title. The France team won their first and only World Cup title in 1998. The tournament was played on home soil and France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final match. In 2006, France finished as runners-up losing 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team has also finished in third place on two occasions in 1958 and 1986 and in fourth place once in 1982. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 2002 and 2010. In 2002, the team suffered an unexpected loss to Senegal and departed the tournament without scoring a goal, while in 2010, France suffered defeats to Mexico and South Africa and earned a point from a draw with Uruguay.[44][45]

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
Uruguay 1930 Group Stage 7th 3 1 0 2 4 3
Italy 1934 First Round 9th 1 0 0 1 2 3
France 1938 Quarter Final 6th 2 1 0 1 4 4
Brazil 1950 Did not qualify
Switzerland 1954 Group Stage 11th 2 1 0 1 3 3
Sweden 1958 Third Place 3rd 6 4 0 2 23 15
Chile 1962 Did not qualify
England 1966 Group Stage 13th 3 0 1 2 2 5
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978 Group Stage 12th 3 1 0 2 5 5
Spain 1982 Fourth Place 4th 7 3 2 2 16 12
Mexico 1986 Third Place 3rd 7 4 2 1 12 6
Italy 1990 Did not qualify
United States 1994
France 1998 Champions 1st 7 6 1 0 15 2
South Korea Japan 2002 Group Stage 28 3 0 1 2 0 3
Germany 2006 Runners-up 2nd 7 4 3 0 9 3
South Africa 2010 Group Stage 29 3 0 1 2 1 4
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Total 13/19 1 Title 54 25 11 18 96 68

UEFA European Championship record

France is one of the most successful nations at the UEFA European Football Championship having won two titles in 1984 and 2000. The team is tied with Spain and only trails Germany who have won three titles. France hosted the inaugural competition in 1960 and have appeared in seven UEFA European Championship tournament, tied for fourth-best. The team won their first title on home soil in 1984 and were led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini. In 2000, the team, led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, won its second title in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 1992 and 2008.

UEFA European Championship record
Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
France 1960 Fourth Place 4th 2 0 0 2 4 7
Spain 1964 Did not qualify
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 14 4
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify
Sweden 1992 Group Stage 6th 3 0 2 1 2 3
England 1996 Semi-Final 4th 5 2 3 0 5 2
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 13 7
Portugal 2004 Quarter-Final 6th 4 2 1 1 7 5
Austria Switzerland 2008 Group Stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 6
Poland Ukraine 2012 Qualified
France 2016 Hosts
Total 7/13 2 Titles 28 14 7 7 46 34

FIFA Confederations Cup record

France have appeared in two of the five FIFA Confederations Cups contested and won the competition on both appearances. The team's two titles place in second place only trailing Brazil who have won three. France won their first Confederations Cup in 2001 having appeared in the competition as a result of winning the FIFA World Cup in 1998 . The team defeated Japan 1–0 in the final match. In the following Confederations Cup in 2003, France, appearing in the competition due to winning UEFA Euro 2000 and because of their duties as host, won the competition beating Cameroon 1–0 after extra time.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did Not Qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999 Did Not Enter [46]
South Korea Japan 2001 Champions 1st 5 4 0 1 12 2
France 2003 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 12 3
Germany 2005 Did Not Qualify
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013 To Be Determined
Russia 2017
Qatar 2021
Total Champions 2/8 10 9 0 1 24 5
*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.
**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Minor tournaments

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Brazil 1972 Brazilian Independence Cup Group stage 8th 4 3 1 0 10 2
France 1985 Artemio Franchi Trophy Winners — 1 1 0 0 2 0
France 1988 Tournoi de France Winners 1st 2 2 0 0 4 2
Kuwait 1990 Kuwait Tournament Winners 1st 2 2 0 0 4 0
Japan 1994 Kirin Cup Winners 1st 2 2 0 0 5 1
France 1997 Tournoi de France Group stage 3rd 3 0 2 1 3 4
Morocco 1998 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament Winners 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2
Morocco 2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament Winners 1st 2 1 1 0 7 3
South Africa 2000 Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge Cup Co-Winners — 1 0 1 0 0 0
Total 7 titles 19 12 6 1 38 14
*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.
**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.

Titles

Preceded by World Champions
1998 (First title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Confederations Cup Winners
2001 (First title)
2003 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Champions
1984 (First title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Champions
2000 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Inaugural Event
 Artemio Franchi Trophy
1985 (First title) 		Succeeded by
1993 Argentina 
Preceded by
1993 Hungary 
 Kirin Cup Champions
1994 (First title) 		Succeeded by
1995 Japan 
Preceded by King Hassan II Cup Winners
1998 (First title)
2000 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

Minor titles

  • Gold Medal (1): 1984 Olympics 1984
  • Silver Medal (1): 1900 Olympics 1900
  • Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge Cup:
    • Winners (1): 2000

Statistics

Most capped players

Main articles: List of France international footballers, List of France national football team captains, and France national football team records
  Active national team players are highlighted
# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Lilian Thuram 1994–2008 142 2
2 Thierry Henry 1997–2010 123 51
3 Marcel Desailly 1993–2004 116 3
4 Zinedine Zidane 1994–2006 108 31
5 Patrick Vieira 1997–2009 107 6
6 Didier Deschamps 1989–2000 103 4
7 Laurent Blanc 1989–2000 97 16
Bixente Lizarazu 1992–2004 97 2
9 Sylvain Wiltord 1999–2006 92 26
10 Fabien Barthez 1994–2006 87 0

Last updated: 22 June 2010
Source: French Football Federation

Top goalscorers

Main article: List of leading goalscorers for the France national football team
# Player Career Goals Caps Average
1 Thierry Henry 1997–2010 51 123 0.42
2 Michel Platini 1976–1987 41 72 0.57
3 David Trezeguet 1998–2008 34 71 0.47
4 Zinedine Zidane 1994–2006 31 108 0.28
5 Just Fontaine 1953–1960 30 21 1.42
Jean-Pierre Papin 1986–1995 30 54 0.55
7 Youri Djorkaeff 1993–2002 28 82 0.34
8 Sylvain Wiltord 1999–2006 26 92 0.28
9 Jean Vincent 1953–1961 22 46 0.47
10 Jean Nicolas 1933–1938 21 25 0.84

Last updated: 22 June 2010
Source: French Football Federation

Managers

Main article: List of French national football team managers
Manager France career Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
France Henri Guérin 1964–1966 15 5 4 6 033.3
FranceSpain José Arribas and France Jean Snella 1966 4 2 0 2 050.0
France Just Fontaine 1967 2 0 0 2 000.0
France Louis Dugauguez 1967–1968 9 2 3 4 022.2
France Georges Boulogne 1969–1973 31 15 5 11 048.4
Romania Ştefan Kovács 1973–1975 15 6 4 5 040.0
France Michel Hidalgo 1976–1984 75 41 16 18 054.7
France Henri Michel 1984–1988 36 16 12 8 044.4
France Michel Platini 1988–1992 29 16 8 5 055.2
France Gérard Houllier 1992–1993 12 7 1 4 058.3
France Aimé Jacquet 1994–1998 53 34 16 3 064.2
France Roger Lemerre 1998–2002 53 34 11 8 064.2
France Jacques Santini 2002–2004 28 22 4 2 078.6
France Raymond Domenech 2004–2010 79 41 24 14 051.9
France Laurent Blanc 2010– 19 11 6 2 057.9
Managers in italics were hired as caretakers

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Blanc n'a pas choisi son capitaine". RMC Sport (in French). 8 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  3. ^ The other two being United States (withdrawing in 1938 without actually playing any match) and Brazil (reaching the finals tournament each time).
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  18. ^ "Nike prochain équipementier". L'Equipe. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
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  46. ^ As 1998 FIFA World Cup Champions
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