Picking the Worst France World Cup XI of All Time
So often before a World Cup gets underway, the pre-tournament talk is all about the best players to ever grace the competition. Golden Boot winners, standout defenders and the midfield generals who helped guide their countries to glory.
However, what about the forgotten men? Or the “want to be forgotten men?” Those players who disgraced rather than graced the competition or the players that were probably surprised themselves at their inclusion.
Going into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, France has one of its most balanced and talented squads that coach Didier Deschamps could have hoped to pick. There are very few weak links, few players that couldn’t step in and take a role in the starting XI. It hasn’t always been this way though.
Here is the worst France World Cup XI of all time.
Goalkeeper: Laurent Di Lorto
1 of 11FC Sochaux goalkeeper Laurent Di Lorto was picked as the man to guard the posts for France during the 1938 World Cup on home soil. During the quarter-final against Italy, he would have a moment that would haunt him the rest of his career.
As a Marseille player for four years, it was fitting that his blunder would occur in the city of Paris, where their two sides would later become fierce rivals. Italy’s Gino Colaussi tried his luck from the left wing with a speculative shot, it should have been a routine save for Di Lorto, but he managed to fumble the ball into his own net and then collided with the post for full comedic effect (4:15 into the above video).
France would go on to lose the game 3-1, missing out on the chance of World Cup glory.
Right-Back: Pascal Chimbonda
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The history books will show that former Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan Athletic and Bastia defender Pascal Chimbonda won a single cap for his country; in reality, he played about three official minutes.
He came on to replace Willy Sagnol in the 87th minute of a pre-World Cup friendly against Denmark, and that would be his first and last involvement for Les Bleus. Raymond Domenech named the right-back into his squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but after a successful season with Wigan, he didn’t even feature once off the bench during the tournament as France went on to finish second.
Despite his inclusion in the PFA’s Team of the Year for the 2005-06 season, Chimbonda was never highly regarded in France, and it is strange to think he was a penalty shootout away from winning the World Cup.
Centre-Back: Jean-Alain Boumsong
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Under the guidance of legendary coach Guy Roux, Jean-Alain Boumsong, alongside Philippe Mexes, became one of the most sought after defensive duos in European football. The defender left for Scottish side Rangers on a free transfer but was then sold six months later to Newcastle United for £8 million.
After some initial impressive performances, standards slipped, and he was quickly sold on to Juventus for a loss of just under £5 million. Somehow, he still managed to make the 23-man France squad that got to the final of the 2006 World Cup. Perhaps, luckily for France, he never played in any games during the tournament.
Centre-Back: Philippe Christanval
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This is the curious case of Philippe Christanval. At the age of just 21, he had won the Ligue 1 title with AS Monaco and was named the league’s Young Player of the Year. Four years later, the defender had played for Barcelona and Marseille, failed a trial at Arsenal and signed for Fulham on a free transfer.
A mixture of some terrible performances and a spate of injuries caused the young defender’s star to slip. He was an unused player in the 2002 squad that performed poorly as France took to Korea and Japan to try and retain their title as World Champions.
There was so much promise, but in the end, his career delivered very little. Very much like the France team he was a part of in 2002.
Left-Back: Patrice Evra
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It sounds harsh to include Patrice Evra in a worst-ever XI, but he makes the grade due to his involvement in one of French football’s most harrowing incidents.
Evra was at the centre of the standoff in Knysna, his bust-up with fitness coach Robert Duverne and subsequent refusal to train happened with Evra as one of the squad’s leaders and cast a huge shadow over French football.
On and off the pitch, the 2010 World Cup was a disaster for France, a draw against Uruguay, beaten 2-0 by Mexico and the final defeat to South Africa saw Les Bleus limp out of the tournament. Four years on there are definite signs that the shadow is being lifted, but Evra’s reputation in France is still fairly low; many fans believe he should be nowhere near the current squad.
Centre-Midfield: Abou Diaby
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Arsenal’s Abou Diaby comes under the “what if” category. When you look at the current squad and the praise heaped upon the likes of Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba in the France midfield, you cannot help but think that could have been Diaby.
The midfielder was a big part of Domenech’s 2010 World Cup side; he played all three of the group games, but France failed to win and the disaster of Knysna has been well documented.
Despite being highly thought of by Domenech, Laurent Blanc and Deschamps, in seven years, he has only won 14 caps. A long list of injuries has hampered his international career, and it is a huge regret that his only run of games came in one of France’s worst-ever World Cups.
Centre-Midfield: Jean-Francois Larios
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One of the most interesting players in France’s World Cup history is former Saint-Etienne midfielder Jean-Francois Larios. He was part of the squad that went to Spain for the 1982 World Cup, alongside club team-mate, captain and great French hope, Michel Platini.
After an opening game defeat to England, questions were raised over France’s high-intensity training in the Pyrenees; perhaps it had taken its toll on the fitness of the players.
That story was completely deflected when it emerged that Larios had been having an affair with Platini’s wife. France were knocked out in the semi-finals, Larios left the tournament and on his return to France, he completed a move to Atletico Madrid.
Attacking Midfield: Yoann Gourcuff
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The now-Lyon midfielder, Yoann Gourcuff is one of France’s biggest international disappointments. After the retirement of Zinedine Zidane in 2006, Gourcuff was the natural successor to the throne.
Going into the 2010 World Cup, Gourcuff had been a superb player at Bordeaux for two years, scoring 18 goals in 69 league games, and the hopes of a nation rested on the shoulders of the gifted playmaker.
After a poor performance against Uruguay in the opening game, Gourcuff’s World Cup will be remembered for being sent off against South Africa in the last group game. Since that tournament, he has only played a handful of international games. During the tournament, there were stories that questioned his desire and mental state—doubts that still remain four years later.
It looks like he will never quite shake the disappointment of 2010.
Right Wing: Bernard Diomede
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It is bizarre to think that Bernard Diomede can sit at home with his feet up relaxing on a chair, looking at his World Cup winner’s medal.
The winger made his name playing under Guy Roux at Auxerre, scoring 30 goals in 176 league appearances. During his time there, he became part of the squad that would play in the 1998 World Cup; quite timely, he joined the squad in January, made eight appearances and left with a winner’s medal.
His £3 million move to Liverpool was a disaster. Brought in by Gerard Houllier for the 2000/01 season, he managed just five games, failed to settle and was sent back to France on loan to AC Ajaccio.
After playing for Ajaccio, Creteil and Clermont up until 2006, he spent 18 months without a club before announcing his retirement in 2008.
Right Wing: Nicolas Anelka
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Nicolas Anelka is one of French football’s most controversial players. He was becoming a star at Arsenal when Aime Jacquet cut him from 1998 squad but quickly became a starter during the Euro 2000 qualification campaign. He scored against Russia in qualifying and twice against England in a friendly at Wembley.
Anelka would go on to win 69 caps for his country, scoring 14 goals, but it was his last-ever appearance that would be his most memorable.
During the half-time break as France took on Mexico at the 2010 World Cup, Domenech was unhappy at Anelka’s positional play during the half, and the eccentric coach let the forward know about it. Reports suggest that Anelka was far from happy from the abuse and unloaded a foul-mouth tirade back at his manager.
This was only the beginning of France’s problems, and the distrust between players and the coaching staff sparked the famous strike at Knysna—something that French football is still recovering from.
Centre-Forward: Andre-Pierre Gignac
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There was a huge amount of hype surrounding Andre-Pierre Gignac going into the 2010 World Cup. The striker had scored 32 goals over two seasons with Toulouse and was on the verge of a move to French giants Marseille.
The big, burly centre-forward scored four goals as France qualified for the tournament in South Africa, and a lot was expected of him. He was a substitute in the first two group games and started the final game against South Africa. After three minutes, he managed to turn a shot on target; it would be his first and his last.
With only one shot of note in 95 mintues of play, statistics after the tournament, via LesViolets.com (in French) claimed that after Anelka, Gignac was the worst French player to play in the 2010 World Cup.
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