Team created by a collaborative effort of 27DONI72, Milos, StuartBannigan and gurkenjoe93











Honours:

• FIFA World Cup

Winners (2): 1998, 2018
Runners-up (2): 2006, 2022
Third place (2): 1958, 1986
Fourth place (1): 1982

• UEFA European Championship

Winners (2): 1984, 2000
Runners-up (1): 2016
Fourth place (1): 1960
Semi-Final (2): 1996, 2024

• UEFA Nations League

Winners(1): 2021

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Winners (2): 2001, 2003


COACH: Michel HIDALGO




The best ever French players 23-man squad



GOALKEEPERS:

● Joël BATS
● Fabien BARTHEZ

DEFENDERS:

● Robert JONQUET
● Marius TRÉSOR
● Maxime BOSSIS
● Manuel AMOROS
● Laurent BLANC
● Marcel DESAILLY
● Bixente LIZARAZU
● Lilian THURAM

MIDFIELDERS:

● Alain GIRESSE
● Michel PLATINI
● Jean TIGANA
● Luis FERNÁNDEZ
● Didier DESCHAMPS
● Zinédine ZIDANE
● Patrick VIEIRA

FORWARDS:

● Raymond KOPA
● Just FONTAINE
● Dominique ROCHETEAU
● Thierry HENRY
● Antoine GRIEZMANN
● Kylian MBAPPÉ


_____________________________________________________________


RESERVES:


GOALKEEPERS:

● Julien DARUI
● George CARNUS
● Hugo LLORIS

DEFENDERS:

● Étienne MATTLER
● Roger MARCHE
● Raymond KAELBEL
● André LEROND
● Jean DJORKAEFF
● Bernard BOSQUIER
● Christian LOPEZ
● Gérard JANVION
● Patrick BATTISTON
● Raphaël VARANE

MIDFIELDERS:

● Edmond DELFOUR
● Oscar HEISSERER
● Armand PENVERNE
● Jean-Jacques MARCEL
● Henri MICHEL
● Emmanuel PETIT
● Youri DJORKAEFF
● Claude MAKÉLÉLÉ
● Paul POGBA
● N'Golo KANTÉ

FORWARDS:

● Émile VEINANTE
● Jean NICOLAS
● Alfred ASTON
● Jean BARATTE
● Roger PIANTONI
● Jean VINCENT
● Didier SIX
● Jean-Pierre PAPIN
● David TRÉZÉGUET
● Olivier GIROUD

Should really Eric Cantona be included in this squad?

Amazing player really, but never won or did anything special for the NT. I would like to switch him with David Trézéguet who at least scored the golden goal winner in euro finals 2000....

What do you think?

Also Trezeguet except this goal never did anything for NT, moreover David was always a substitute in NT, I don't remember an important tournament when he was in the starting XI.
Trezeguet has reached an higher peak with NT but Cantona until he was kicked out by Jacquet was more consistent and I think he could do good performances in Euro'96..
In my OF I have added a midfielder (Petit) in place of Cantona/Trezeguet

To add a third suggestion: what about Roger Piantoni in first team? Definitely one of the greatest players who played for the national team and also played a good tournament at the WC 1958. I'm sure he would have done that also at WC 54 but he unfortunately missed it after he got injured in a match against Italy a few months before the WC. IMO he would be the perfect replacement for Cantona because Cantona (it's hard for me to say that because he's one of my favorite players) never did anything important for the NT while Piantoni played an important role at least one major tournament..

It was just a suggestion because that goal meant more to the France NT than Cantona Ever meant to the French NT

Petit is regarding me a much better choice!





I am not so good at picking players from this nation (It would be mostly players from 70's, 80's & 90's if I hade to choose. But I know Roger was big so he might be a good choice. Cantona is for France what Ibra is for Sweden if you ask me. Amazing players but haven't manage to that important for their NT

first team

IN Roger Piantoni

OUT Eric Cantona

Linked every reserve player found on the forum:

Players from first team can be linked

Updated thanks.

I would recommend this balanced XI:

Fabien BARTHEZ - GK [Higher competitive peak than BATS]

Lilian THURAM - SB (R) [Greatest defensive RCB of all time]
Marcel DESAILLY - CB (Stopper)
Laurent BLANC - CB (Libero) [TRÉSOR also an effective stopper / libero]
Manuel AMOROS SB (L) [BOSSIS & LIZARAZU provide backup, BOSSIS also an elegant libero]

Jean TIGANA - CM [One of the greatest midfielders from the 80's, Le carré magique's dynamo]
Patrick VIEIRA - CM [Complete CM, perfect foil for TIGANA. If playing a diamond, I would favour DESCHAMPS]

Raymond KOPA - AM (R) [Inside right-forward]
Michel PLATINI - AM (C) [#10 playmaker]
Zinedine ZIDANE - AM (L) [Roving playmaker]

Thierry HENRY - CF [Complete forward]

Makes sense, Papin although a Ballon d'Or winner should be out of the first team, he's part of the generation that didn't do anything for the country.

The only problem with that formation is that Patrick Vieira is not on the first team, he is listed on the reserves.

Perhaps Férnandez could go out or Papin

Fernandez out? Why should the best DM the French NT ever had go to reserves? Fernandez was important member of the best ever French NT (even without WC they were 10000 times better than the 98-00 generation) and belonged to the legendary "Carré Magique", rather Deschamps should be out before Fernandez has to be removed..
Also Barthez in place of Bats is a joke, best XI should contain the best players, not the ones with the longest time in the NT..

Papin Out, Vieira in