Best French Player of All-Time

[gaijin]

JPP was probably one of the best strikers France has ever produced.

He just knew where the goal was. A natural born striker if there has ever been one.

Here's some Platini...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KlFW0CeZr8&search=platini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRtdU1u42lI&search=platini

[gaijin]

ze ultimate French team...

(4-1-3-2)

Bats

Bossis--Thuram--Tresor--Amoros

Tigana

Platini---Zizou---Kopa

Papin---Cantona


Bench:
Ettori
Barthez
Desailly
Blanc
Lizarazu
Fernandez
Deschamps
Djorkaeff
Fontaine
Six
Rocheteau
Giresse

Coach: Hidalgo.

Criticism and other opinons are welcome. :)

[gaijin]

So hard to find any vids of Kopa, because he played in the black and white period.

http://www.espnclassic.com/video/WorldCup06-Raymond%20Kopa1%20(FR).swf
http://www.espnclassic.com/video/WorldCup06-Raymond%20Kopa2%20(FR).swf
http://www.espnclassic.com/video/WorldCup06-Raymond%20Kopa3%20(FR).swf

[gaijin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hau9q9lWjXM

Most of it is premiership stuff sadly. He did score some pearlers in France.

[dor02]

ze ultimate French team...

(4-1-3-2)

Bats

Bossis--Thuram--Tresor--Amoros

Tigana

Platini---Zizou---Kopa

Papin---Cantona


Bench:
Ettori
Barthez
Desailly
Blanc
Lizarazu
Fernandez
Deschamps
Djorkaeff
Fontaine
Six
Rocheteau
Giresse

Coach: Hidalgo.

Criticism and other opinons are welcome. :)Luckily that you have Deschamps on the bench. Cantona wouldn't want a water-carrier as his DM.

I would swap Zizou and Kopa around. Kopa played more in the centre than nearly the wings. I think at Real Madrid, Kopa had to play as a inside-right because Di Stefano was still playing and Kopa wasn't as comfortable as he would have liked.

Why isn't Bernard Genghini in the team? Wasn't he as good as those guys?

Why do you have Tresor as a centre back and not as a sweeper? If he can play in that position, that backline is fine but if he was to play as a sweeper, I'd structure the backline like this:

------------------ Tresor

Thuram ---------- Blanc ---------Amoros

I'd take Bossis out and put Blanc in so Thuram can play on the right. I wouldn't want Thuram in the very centre of defence.

Great clips on Platini! His goals were classy finishes too.

[ibby]

I am guessing no-one rates the best french player now which is THIERRY HENRY?!?!

[N. Platini]

I am guessing no-one rates the best french player now which is THIERRY HENRY?!?!
He needs to have a big tournament for us to be named with Zizou , Papin , Platini and so .

[Ender]

Two thoughts:
1. Ever notice the truly great ones look like guys you wouldn't let date your sister?
2. When you conside that Platini and Papin only had two goals each in 1986, whith an otherwise unremarkable team, they have to be considered amazing for a third place run. Amazing that they only had one tie to the USSr, one loss to an amazing German side, and beat canada, hungary, Italy, Brazil and a surprisingly effective Belgian team. Surely two of the best the world has seen.

[gaijin]

Bollocks, I left out Battiston. Oh well...

[kakaboypuf redded]

Zidane

Best player ever.

[babaorum]

Platini.
At their respective peaks (82-85 for Platini ; 98-2002 for Zidane) 'Platoche' was better. Zidane's best performance (Euro 2000) just can't match Platini's one (Euro 84). Platini not only had Zidane's playmaking ability (passing, vision...) but he also was a one of the best goalscorer of his era despite being a midfielder. Zidane's technique is better but overall Platini was more influential. I rank him in top 10, maybe top 6-7.

[Excelsior]

Zidane is by far the greatest frenchplayer in history.

[Talismania]

Mexes is the best player of all time. He is just phenomenal.

[ibby]

He needs to have a big tournament for us to be named with Zizou , Papin , Platini and so .
Yes true but henry is agruebly the best techincally gifted player ever to play the game so you have to have him in your top 5.

[triplesevn]

[Ask the fans in Napoli about Maradona and how he won the league for them. I remember this happening. It can and has happened. I've see the great Paulo Futre do the same to Scotland. If you're speaking in the literal sense you're right to a certain degree but it can and has been done more than a few times.

Fonsos]



I was speaking for the National Team, not club.

True, Platini played well in Euro 84, but Zizou played well AND won it. Winning is very important. If your a GREAT player, than no matter how week your team is, you bring them along until they play great too. As in my philosophy, nobody can win it all by themselves.

But a great player can influence his teammates to play beyond their ability.

Let's use Barthez as an example. Here is a man who has won the European Cup, 4 League titles, a World Cup, a Euro Cup, Confed Cup, Goal Keeper of the year at both International and Domestic levels, Goalkeeper of the Tourney WC98 & Euro 2000, and took Marsielle to the UEFA Cup Final...and hopefully this year another WC win.

And yet, he has never gained the respect as one of the best keepers of our time. Or any other time for that matter. But you will call Platini, who has not won anything at the International level one of the best of all times and even better than Zizou.

Being good means you got there. Being great means you took it home.

[Fonsos]

He needs to have a big tournament for us to be named with Zizou , Papin , Platini and so .

Au contraire Mon ami. Henry ranks up there as one of France's best Strikers and in my opinion he is the best. Winning is nice but that shouldn't disqualify one from being considered and in my lifetime of watching France, he's the best French Striker w/o question.

A+
Fonsos

[Fonsos]

[Ask the fans in Napoli about Maradona and how he won the league for them. I remember this happening. It can and has happened. I've see the great Paulo Futre do the same to Scotland. If you're speaking in the literal sense you're right to a certain degree but it can and has been done more than a few times.

Fonsos]


I was speaking for the National Team, not club.

True, Platini played well in Euro 84, but Zizou played well AND won it. Winning is very important. If your a GREAT player, than no matter how week your team is, you bring them along until they play great too. As in my philosophy, nobody can win it all by themselves.

But a great player can influence his teammates to play beyond their ability.

Let's use Barthez as an example. Here is a man who has won the European Cup, 4 League titles, a World Cup, a Euro Cup, Confed Cup, Goal Keeper of the year at both International and Domestic levels, Goalkeeper of the Tourney WC98 & Euro 2000, and took Marsielle to the UEFA Cup Final...and hopefully this year another WC win.

And yet, he has never gained the respect as one of the best keepers of our time. Or any other time for that matter. But you will call Platini, who has not won anything at the International level one of the best of all times and even better than Zizou.

Being good means you got there. Being great means you took it home.

You should have clarified it. Having seen both play, I still disagree w/ you and even more. To say Platini "played well" in 84 is WRONG. What he did in 84 was magical.

Disqualifying someone because they haven't won it all is WRONG. There are way too many great players whom were not fortunate to have won the big prizes but to deny that they were great players as a result of this is WRONG.
Enzo Scifo, Zico, Socrates, Eto'O,Futre, Ian rush, Valderrama, Cruyff and Eusebio didn't win the big one but I know there are a number of people who would not deny that they were / are some of the best to have ever played the game.

Fonsos

[guignol]

1) Zizou
2) Platini
3) Kopa

All immigrant kids as well. How do you like multiculturalism? i agree with both the choice and the comment. france has always been a terre d'acceuil and proud of it.

[babaorum]

[Ask the fans in Napoli about Maradona and how he won the league for them. I remember this happening. It can and has happened. I've see the great Paulo Futre do the same to Scotland. If you're speaking in the literal sense you're right to a certain degree but it can and has been done more than a few times.

Fonsos]



I was speaking for the National Team, not club.

True, Platini played well in Euro 84, but Zizou played well AND won it. Winning is very important. If your a GREAT player, than no matter how week your team is, you bring them along until they play great too. As in my philosophy, nobody can win it all by themselves.

But a great player can influence his teammates to play beyond their ability.

Let's use Barthez as an example. Here is a man who has won the European Cup, 4 League titles, a World Cup, a Euro Cup, Confed Cup, Goal Keeper of the year at both International and Domestic levels, Goalkeeper of the Tourney WC98 & Euro 2000, and took Marsielle to the UEFA Cup Final...and hopefully this year another WC win.

And yet, he has never gained the respect as one of the best keepers of our time. Or any other time for that matter. But you will call Platini, who has not won anything at the International level one of the best of all times and even better than Zizou.

Being good means you got there. Being great means you took it home.

You said Platini hasn't won anything at international level... Hum... Remember Euro84 ?

You said he "played well" in that Tournament... He arguably did then the greatest indivudual performance ever in an international tournament, only matched by Maradona in WC86. As much as I like Zizou, he never reached that level, even at his best in EC2000.

[MAd_REd]

1. platini
2. Zidane
3. Drokajeaf

5. Kopo


8. barthez