|
|
France |
| 1 | - Mickael Landreau |
| 2 | - Jean Alain Boumsong |
| 3 | - Eric Abidal |
| 4 | - Patrick Vieira |
| 5 | - William Gallas |
| 6 | - Claude Makelele |
| 7 | - Florent Malouda |
| 8 | - Vikash Dhorasoo |
| 9 | - Djibril Cisse |
| 10 | - Zinedine Zidane |
| 11 | - Sylvain Wiltord |
| 12 | - Thierry Henry |
| 13 | - Mikael Silvestre |
| 14 | - Louis Saha |
| 15 | - Lilian Thuram |
| 16 | - Fabien Barthez |
| 17 | - Gael Givet |
| 18 | - Alou Diarra |
| 19 | - Willy Sagnol |
| 20 | - David Trezeguet |
| 21 | - Pascal Chimbonda |
| 22 | - Franck Ribery |
| 23 | - Gregory Coupet |
Qualifying star: Djibril Cisse top scored for France in qualifying with four goals.
Manager: Raymond Domenech succeeded Jacques Santini after Euro 2004. The former Under-21 coach is yet to properly stamp his authority on the side as he is caught between two generations of French footballers.
Captain: Zinedine Zidane. The midfield maestro came out of retirement in August 2005 and helped them reach Germany after a shaky start. But is he good enough to replicate the feats of 1998?
World Cup history: Victory in 1998 perhaps gives a false impression for a country who always felt they should have done better. Semi-final defeats in 1958, 1982 and 1986 promised more than they delivered.
World Cup high: Winning the tournament on home soil in 1998. Scenes of jubilation followed.
World Cup low: A miserable defence of their crown in 2002. France failed to score a single goal and lost to Senegal and Denmark to finish bottom of their group.
World Cup legend: Zidane. Michel Platini might be the most famous French player of all time but he did not score two goals in a World Cup final.
Stars of the team: With va-va-voom in abundance it is difficult to look beyond Thierry Henry. The Arsenal striker has yet to really shine in a major tournament and Germany could be his stage.
Strengths: Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele all came out of retirement to ensure France qualified for the tournament and Les Bleus seem stronger for their return.
Weaknesses: Ageing players from France's golden generation may not be able to turn it on in a testing competition under sunny skies after a long season.
Did you know? Coach Domenech is an amateur dramatics enthusiast and does not try to hide his passion for astrology.
World ranking: 8
| Year | Country | Placed |
| 1930 | Uruguay | 3rd, pool 1 |
| 1934 | Italy | First Round |
| 1938 | France | Quarterfinals |
| 1950 | Brazil | - |
| 1954 | Switzerland | 3rd, group 1 |
| 1958 | Sweden | 3rd |
| 1962 | Chile | - |
| 1966 | England | 4th, group 1 |
| 1970 | Mexico | - |
| 1974 | Germany | - |
| 1978 | Argentina | 3rd, group 1 |
| 1982 | Spain | 4th |
| 1986 | Mexico | 3rd |
| 1990 | Italy | - |
| 1994 | USA | - |
| 1998 | France | 1 |
| 2002 | Korea/Japan | 1st group phase |
Odds supplied by William Hill.
05:05:36 |
 |
