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| May 26, 2002 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 13,1423 |
France aim for immortality
IBUSUKI, May 25: France march into the World Cup on the brink of achieving more than any international team in history.
No country has won four titles in a row but after triumphs in the 1998 World Cup, the 2000 European Championship and last year’s Confederations Cup, Roger Lemerre’s men are on the brink of soccer immortality.
But it’s a tall order — so far, only Brazil, in 1962, and Italy, in 1938, have been able to retain the world title.
“Records are made to be broken,” said captain Marcel Desailly. “If we seize the cup another time, it would be outstanding. Winning four titles in four years is something nobody has ever done before.
“It would confirm that our generation has been able to stay at the top much longer than any other side. It would prove that we were capable to deal with more parametres, even with luck.”
“Nobody knows where our limit is,” said midfielder Emmanuel Petit. “Maybe the sky is the only limit. Actually, it’s the only question mark we are facing.
“Our generation is the grand cru,” said the 32-year-old Chelsea player using the French phrase for the best of the best.
“Four years ago, despite the fact that we were playing at home, nobody would have bet a penny on us,” said Petit. “And now, look at where we are standing.”
The French players say the squad is stronger physically and mentally than in 1998, stronger even than in 2000 when they won the European Championship.
Petit and Desailly, the only two players left from the 2-1 shock defeat to Bulgaria in 1993 which put them out of the 1994 World Cup, stressed that the squad has acquired great experience from previous campaigns.
“In the last four events we have entered we have always qualified for the last four at least,” Petit said. “Now, we have a side which knows itself really well.
“We are not ageing, we are experienced. We know how to prepare for a competition like the World Cup. We know what we have to do and how we have to do it.”
Over the last two years, a quarter of the squad have been shuffled by coach Roger Lemerre including the introduction of young gifted players like striker Djibrill Cisse and defenders Mickael Silvestre and Philippe Christanval.
France kick off against Senegal on May 31 in Seoul and then play Uruguay and Denmark in group A.—Reuters
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