MaltaToday previous editions

25 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 MAY 2014 WORLD CUP SPECIAL France 98: 'We felt like we were on holiday,' Sidane says JULIAN DIEZ "THE World Cup is the most impor- tant stage in my career and, of course, it is the greatest reward you can ever receive. For any footballer, winning a World Cup is a dream. Having scored two goals in the final is the best memory in my career as a football player," Zidane says whenever he gets a question about the 1998 feat. Zidane, now 41, has a clear expla- nation for France's success in their home World Cup: "Our main weap- on was surely the good atmosphere there was among us. We did not have the feeling that we were playing World Cup games. The atmosphere was so good that we felt like we were on holiday." Zidane got to the World Cup as a definite starter for Aime Jacquet - "a coach that gave the impression that he had everything under control, he made us feel confident" – after carv- ing a space for himself at Juventus. France started out against South Africa, whom they beat in the second half by 3-0, thanks above all to the work of Zidane's best friend in the world of football, Christophe Dug- arry. Against Saudi Arabia, it again took France half an hour to get into the match, until Thierry Henry's first goal. The match ended 4-0, but it brought some bad news: Zidane was sent off after trampling on Fouad Amin. The Frenchman said he did so "inadvertently," but FIFA's dis- ciplinary committee did not quite believe the story and handed him a two-match ban. Eight years later, in Germany 2006, Zidane was again sent off, but he did not get to make amends. The famous incident in which he head-butted It- aly's Marco Materazzi left the French team down to 10 men and without their captain 110 minutes into the World Cup final, which France even- tually lost in the penalty shootout. In 1998, France also struggled without Zidane. First against Den- mark, whom they beat 2-1, and above all against Paraguay, whom they beat in extra time with a golden goal from Laurent Blanc. "That was the most difficult match in the tournament, but it was also the one that made us realize we could win," Zidane recalled. Italy were eliminated in the quar- ter-finals in another exciting match, in the penalty shootout, after actual play ended 0-0, and Croacia were the hosts' semi-finals rival. "Time had come to put an end to France's frustrating record in that round of the tournament. The great French national team with Giresse, Tigana and Platini had not made it past (the semi-finals) in the 1980s. We had to our advantage the fact that we had been playing in international leagues for a while, which was very valuable experience." Regarding the match against Croatia, Zidane recalled that "it was the kind of match one should not lose." "Getting to that stage and fail- ing so close to the World Cup final seemed inhumane to us. Fortunately, the man who saved us was Lilian Thuram, with a masterful perform- ance," Zidane says as he looks back on that 2-1 win. For the final, Zidane and his team preferred Brazil as their rivals."If the Netherlands had won, it would have been a problem because we were ready for the dream final against Brazil. It goes without saying that we were totally motivated. We went into the match without flinching." This goes some way towards explaining Zidane's two early goals."During preparation, Aime Jac- quet had insisted on the fact that the Brazilians did not have strict mark- ing on set pieces or corner kicks." The title had negative consequenc- es for Zidane during the following season: "For a while, I did not feel like playing. The only thing I wanted to do was to savour the victory, take a break and escape. My season at Ju- ventus was very mediocre, I admit it." With hindsight, the Frenchman thinks the trophy was an incredible gift for the whole country. "In the end, we had the feeling that we had achieved something wonder- ful that went beyond the borders of football. Everyone united for the same cause. There were no longer French people, nor blacks, nor Ar- abs. Beyond the victory, our success united the whole country in one sin- gle celebration." DPA Zinedine Zidane Zidane has a clear explanation for France's success in their home World Cup: "Our main weapon was surely the good atmosphere there was among us." Photo by: Achim Scheidemann - DPA Memories of the France 1998 World Cup are the most pleasant in Zinedine Zidane's football career, and he remains to this day very aware of the fact that the hosts came close to derailing en route to the title in the round-of-16, against Paraguay

• Cover