I got his idea from a soccer digest artcle of the best players over the past 25 years. They thought Platini was better than Zidane, which I don't agree with, so i thought I'd make a poll of. I think Zidane.
Platini was better allround IMO. Zidane is excellent too of course, but I think he falls short in certain areas compared to the Great Michel. Platini was a more efficient player and probably the most accurate passer of a ball in the world in his prime. He was an expert free-kick and penalty-taker as well, and was much more of a leader on the field than Zidane is. Platini also scored much more goals in his career both at club and national team level. Zizou has better close control on the ball, is physically stronger and is a better dribbler, but I don't think he measures up quite to Platini.
Michel Platini is a great French player, and one of the greatest of all time. Zidane is the greatest of French players, but perhaps most of all because he had the opportunity to be the best, to which he contributed but also could benefit from an amazing contingent of players: Henry, Lizarazu, Djorkaeff, etc. Platini talent-wise could potentially hang with Pele or Maradona, but his supporting team was not on that level.
Platini. Everyone else is playing for 2nd. Though he did have a decent supporting cast in '82 and '86.
Platini is half Italian so he don't count. Zidane is Algerian so he don't count so I'm gonna go with Jean Pierre-Papin a real Frenchman who had his glory years playing for a French club unlike those other traitors above who left France for the money. Jean Pierre I salute you !
PFFHHF! Yeah ... and David Ginola too. Oh - and Frank Leboeuf. The list should read - Platini - Fontaine - Tigana - Zidane - Giresse - Six And the winner should be Platini. By a country mile.
What the hell are you all doing, forgetting about Kopa, the guy that lead his country to a semi-final and was part of the legendary Puskas Di Stefano Madrid side of the 50s and 60s He is nr one by a country mile
I rate Six & Dominique Rocheteau as partnership of sorts-although I liked Rocheteau better. And I think looking at his body of work in the 90's, you can't ignore Marcel Desailly. Desailly won at both Monaco & Milan, and he had tremendous WC 98/Euro 2000. You can argue that Tigana or Giresse were better all around players, but I don't think they were as influential to France as Desailly was-and his performance in the CL final against Barcelona w/ Milan, ranks as one of the greatest single games by a French player.
I still think Zidane. He has had much more sucess. They both won a CL, scoring the winning goal, Platini was a WC Semifinalist three times, but Zidane was a winner. They were both great in European Championship wins. ANd Zidane is still playing. Real ought to win sommething this year, to add to Zidane's accolades. Zidane has been world player of the year twice. SportBoy: If you are a true french fan, that was either a joke or you are very stupid. Zidane and Platini have contributed so much to your team. WIthout them, you wouldn't have any EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, or WORLD CUPS! Think about it, and you'll realise how stupid that comment was.
I meant Marseille not Monaco w/ Desailly. I don't think the difference between Zidane and Platini is that great. I voted for Zidane. He's not the scorer that Platini was, but a) he is technically just fantastic, b) I think he is tougher mentally than Platini was-his France would not have folded in Sevilla '82 IMO. There is an intangible quality about Zidane that I think gives him the edge over Platini-the goal in last year's CL final a perfect example. Which is not to say that Platini was not a "winner;" his trophy case is nothing to sniff at. But I like my chances in a big match with Zidane, and fair or not, the 98/2000 double carries a lot of weight.
Zidane marched France to a World Cup and European Cup double for the first time ever. He was the driving force behind those wins. He plays for possibly the best club team in the World Right now. Anyone who looks at Zidane's incredible ball control, skill and Passing ability in detail should be in no doubt he is far superior. Platini falls short of him in Skill and Archivement in my book. List Platinis goals, football skills and medals next to Zidane, and there is no contest. Mark my words, in 10-20 years when the rose tinted glasses are applied to Zidane's career like they are to Platinis and Tigana's right now, he will be seen as THE Greatest French player of all time.
Platini's France didn't fold in '82- even after possibly the most thuggish foul in football history. Both teams scored twice in the OT, and France lost the PK shootout. But they folded like a deck chair in '86. My vote goes to Zidane.
France '82 couldn't kill a game with nerve gas. They didn't know how to hold a lead without risky attacking, and it finally caught up with them. That's not folding- it's tactical immaturity. Actually, I'm not sure the French are any better about that even now. If you look at the elimination rounds of W/C '98, they won by GG over Paraguay, PKs over Italy, and came from behind against Croatia. The only time they were forced to show maturity with a commanding lead was against Brasil in the final (which they did more than convincingly). I didn't see Euro 2000, but I know they didn't have to sit on the ball for most of the matches.
They held on against Spain in EURO 2000. In 1998 they were the masters of defending no argument I'm sorry.
Friend, masterful defending is when you score early, hold the lead against the opposition's attempts to equalize, and win in regulation. It's one thing to play 0-0 ball for 60 minutes and score late to win, another entirely to go up quickly and face pressure for 50-70 minutes. They played ONE magnificent match, perhaps the most dominant match of any European team in a World Cup final, but the rest of their elimination matches could have gone either way. France didn't kill any games but the final. They were the masters of winning. The gist of my (factual) previous post was that they did not have to hold a lead against quality opposition for any significant length of time in the '98 elimination rounds until the final.
I hear this argument all the time. Who cares what club he plays for?! http://www.ifhof.com/hof/finney.asp