Greatest European footballers In football history

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 5, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with trying to find a player who actually got the better of Lilian Thuram. I’ve watched tons of footage, and honestly, I still haven’t found one.

Take Thierry Henry, for example. He managed to dominate world-class full-backs like Cafu and Zanetti, but when it came to Thuram, it was a different story. Every time they faced off, Thuram completely neutralized him. Henry didn’t even try to take him on. He would pass backwards, avoid direct duels, or even switch flanks just to stay away from him. It’s crazy, in one of the videos I watched, you can literally see Henry switch sides after realizing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the left wing against Thuram.

I’ve already looked at clips involving Zidane, Ronaldo, and Henry, and in every single one, Thuram comes out on top. It’s like every video turns into a defensive masterclass from him. Even on the attacking end, when you see Zidane or Baggio making a cross or long pass, Thuram is always the one on the receiving end or cleaning up the play.

@carlito86 do you have any suggestions for other elite dribblers from the late '90s who might’ve actually given Thuram trouble? Because as of now, he’s looking untouchable
Click to expand...

lilian thuram

is one of the very very few players that really impress me in somehow and in the world football.

carlito86 · Jul 5, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

@carlito86 do you have any suggestions for other elite dribblers from the late '90s who might’ve actually given Thuram trouble? Because as of now, he’s looking untouchable
Click to expand...

The answer is really and simply no

The closest would be Ronaldo nazario in the tournoi de france 1997 but this was as you know a World Cup dress rehearsal

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Tournoi_de_France
A meaningless friendly and literally all friendlies without exception are meaningless

When the magicians who run certain YouTube/twitter accounts take 1 clip from this comp and tell us Ronaldo nazario destroyed Thuram that is one of the biggest deceptions of all time(in football)

I mean from literally the half dozen times peak R9 faced Thuram in Serie A when the latter was at Parma or in the World Cup they cannot find even one example of R9 getting the better of Thuram and that is all you need to know

i think Thuram in World Cup 1998 might of reached the highest peak by any right back at international level

What Djalma Santos did or didn’t do in the black and white era is completely irrelevant to me but you may take a different view and that is completely fine

I’d further suggest that Lilian Thuram was the French NTs second most important player after Zinedine Zidane during 1998-2000

In 3rd place I’d put Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez | Lev Yashin Award | 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2000

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 5, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with trying to find a player who actually got the better of Lilian Thuram. I’ve watched tons of footage, and honestly, I still haven’t found one.

Take Thierry Henry, for example. He managed to dominate world-class full-backs like Cafu and Zanetti, but when it came to Thuram, it was a different story. Every time they faced off, Thuram completely neutralized him. Henry didn’t even try to take him on. He would pass backwards, avoid direct duels, or even switch flanks just to stay away from him. It’s crazy, in one of the videos I watched, you can literally see Henry switch sides after realizing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the left wing against Thuram.

I’ve already looked at clips involving Zidane, Ronaldo, and Henry, and in every single one, Thuram comes out on top. It’s like every video turns into a defensive masterclass from him. Even on the attacking end, when you see Zidane or Baggio making a cross or long pass, Thuram is always the one on the receiving end or cleaning up the play.

@carlito86 do you have any suggestions for other elite dribblers from the late '90s who might’ve actually given Thuram trouble? Because as of now, he’s looking untouchable
Click to expand...

................
...
..
AS Monaco vs Feyenoord 1991 1992 - YouTube

Go to 28 : 41 minutes at Video there

Thuram gives one nice Long Sombrero to Pass to Rui Barros ...

and then Goal Goal Goal for Monaco in Cup winners Cup ...1991/1992 .. !

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 5, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

The answer is really and simply no

The closest would be Ronaldo nazario in the tournoi de france 1997 but this was as you know a World Cup dress rehearsal

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Tournoi_de_France
A meaningless friendly and literally all friendlies without exception are meaningless

When the magicians who run certain YouTube/twitter accounts take 1 clip from this comp and tell us Ronaldo nazario destroyed Thuram that is one of the biggest deceptions of all time(in football)

I mean from literally the half dozen times peak R9 faced Thuram in Serie A when the latter was at Parma or in the World Cup they cannot find even one example of R9 getting the better of Thuram and that is all you need to know

i think Thuram in World Cup 1998 might of reached the highest peak by any right back at international level

What Djalma Santos did or didn’t do in the black and white era is completely irrelevant to me but you may take a different view and that is completely fine

I’d further suggest that Lilian Thuram was the French NTs second most important player after Zinedine Zidane during 1998-2000

In 3rd place I’d put Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez | Lev Yashin Award | 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2000
Click to expand...

World cup 1958 : ( in colour) Brazilian best goals with original comments

This is a weaker and flawed argument that you used Carlito 86!

" black and white stuff "

that's bullshit at all !

Tell me, the truth is that you didn't watch the entire matches...never never never in your life ... of Djalma Santos and Carlos Alberto Torres to be able to give your opinion with much clarity, precision, accuracy % and wisdom.

Tell me, there's truth
that you don't know anything about football in the past...

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 5, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

The answer is really and simply no

The closest would be Ronaldo nazario in the tournoi de france 1997 but this was as you know a World Cup dress rehearsal

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Tournoi_de_France
A meaningless friendly and literally all friendlies without exception are meaningless

When the magicians who run certain YouTube/twitter accounts take 1 clip from this comp and tell us Ronaldo nazario destroyed Thuram that is one of the biggest deceptions of all time(in football)

I mean from literally the half dozen times peak R9 faced Thuram in Serie A when the latter was at Parma or in the World Cup they cannot find even one example of R9 getting the better of Thuram and that is all you need to know

i think Thuram in World Cup 1998 might of reached the highest peak by any right back at international level

What Djalma Santos did or didn’t do in the black and white era is completely irrelevant to me but you may take a different view and that is completely fine

I’d further suggest that Lilian Thuram was the French NTs second most important player after Zinedine Zidane during 1998-2000

In 3rd place I’d put Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez | Lev Yashin Award | 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2000
Click to expand...

...
..
World cup 1958 : Brésil 2 x 0 URSS "Le match où Pelé et Garrincha ont changé le football en couleur"

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 5, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

The answer is really and simply no

The closest would be Ronaldo nazario in the tournoi de france 1997 but this was as you know a World Cup dress rehearsal

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Tournoi_de_France
A meaningless friendly and literally all friendlies without exception are meaningless

When the magicians who run certain YouTube/twitter accounts take 1 clip from this comp and tell us Ronaldo nazario destroyed Thuram that is one of the biggest deceptions of all time(in football)

I mean from literally the half dozen times peak R9 faced Thuram in Serie A when the latter was at Parma or in the World Cup they cannot find even one example of R9 getting the better of Thuram and that is all you need to know

i think Thuram in World Cup 1998 might of reached the highest peak by any right back at international level

What Djalma Santos did or didn’t do in the black and white era is completely irrelevant to me but you may take a different view and that is completely fine

I’d further suggest that Lilian Thuram was the French NTs second most important player after Zinedine Zidane during 1998-2000

In 3rd place I’d put Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez | Lev Yashin Award | 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2000
Click to expand...

Bobby Charlton " best England goals" HD in colour

carlito86 · Jul 6, 2025

Wiliam Felipe Gracek said: ↑

This is a weaker and flawed argument that you used Carlito 86! " black and white stuff "

Tell me, the truth is that you didn't watch the entire matches...never never never in your life ... of Djalma Santos and Carlos Alberto Torres to be able to give your opinion with much clarity, precision, accuracy % and wisdom.
Click to expand...

Get your facts right first

World Cup History - 1970

And my personal preference can never be wrong

carlito86 said: ↑

What Djalma Santos did or didn’t do in the black and white era is completely irrelevant to me but you may take a different view and that is completely fine
Click to expand...

By the way the most overrated right back of all time is Cafu
He literally could not dribble to save his own life
At least 2 right backs from his own era definitely had higher peaks(Thuram and Zanetti are clear)

His club career was unremarkable, and he’s mostly living off the “two-time World Cup winner” label(hardly played in 1994 by the way)

Without the World Cup 2002 what the hell does he bring to the table?

And you are even more overrated

Please enrol here

English Schools in Brazil | ESL BASE

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

Get your facts right first

View attachment 301855
World Cup History - 1970

And my personal preference can never be wrong

—————————-

English Schools in Brazil | ESL BASE
Click to expand...

You simply
cannot
bring great details for us from the entire old games or Matches .

You have very very superficial knowledge from these Matches .

an example for you ..

Djalma Santos ..

when he had to mark or disarm or tackle
Paco Gento and Ferenc Puskas

he simply could not

effectively do it

luckily for Djalma Santos in this match

South American refereeing

by Chilean referee Sergio Bustamante

Robbed the Spanish national football team side
there were about 4 counter-attack situations ..

that Puskas and Gento

were 2 vs 1 against Djalma Santos

referencing

invented several offsides

to help Brazil ..

on the bench of the Spanish national team ..

they even made that noise of astonishment several times

due to the wrong markings of this Chilean referee ..

Nilton Santos made 2 penalties ..

had a bicycle kick goal for Spain .

in this case...

Thuram really had better performances playing against the top players of his time than Djalma Santos .

and now

Carlos Alberto Torres ...great performances in 1970 ...is on the same level as Thuram in 1998 . !

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

Get your facts right first

View attachment 301855
World Cup History - 1970

And my personal preference can never be wrong

By the way the most overrated right back of all time is Cafu
He literally could not dribble to save his own life
At least 2 right backs from his own era definitely had higher peaks(Thuram and Zanetti are clear)

His club career was unremarkable, and he’s mostly living off the “two-time World Cup winner” label(hardly played in 1994 by the way)

Without the World Cup 2002 what the hell does he bring to the table?

And you are even more overrated

Please enrol here

English Schools in Brazil | ESL BASE
Click to expand...

You don't know anything about the old games... and then you keep creating ridiculous factoids

PDG1978 · Jul 6, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with trying to find a player who actually got the better of Lilian Thuram. I’ve watched tons of footage, and honestly, I still haven’t found one.

Take Thierry Henry, for example. He managed to dominate world-class full-backs like Cafu and Zanetti, but when it came to Thuram, it was a different story. Every time they faced off, Thuram completely neutralized him. Henry didn’t even try to take him on. He would pass backwards, avoid direct duels, or even switch flanks just to stay away from him. It’s crazy, in one of the videos I watched, you can literally see Henry switch sides after realizing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the left wing against Thuram.

I’ve already looked at clips involving Zidane, Ronaldo, and Henry, and in every single one, Thuram comes out on top. It’s like every video turns into a defensive masterclass from him. Even on the attacking end, when you see Zidane or Baggio making a cross or long pass, Thuram is always the one on the receiving end or cleaning up the play.

@carlito86 do you have any suggestions for other elite dribblers from the late '90s who might’ve actually given Thuram trouble? Because as of now, he’s looking untouchable
Click to expand...

George Weah in this game is a good option I think:

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 6, 2025

PDG1978 said: ↑

George Weah in this game is a good option I think:

Click to expand...

...
..
Julio Maldonado from Mundo-Maldini TV from Spain

speaks there ...in TV ..

Weah played very very badly in the first half...

Then he improved in the second half...

Knockout past the ball twice by Thuram . !

Honestly I didn't think it was amazing

Alot of Ups and downs during the Match

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

Get your facts right first

View attachment 301855
World Cup History - 1970

And my personal preference can never be wrong

By the way the most overrated right back of all time is Cafu
He literally could not dribble to save his own life
At least 2 right backs from his own era definitely had higher peaks(Thuram and Zanetti are clear)

His club career was unremarkable, and he’s mostly living off the “two-time World Cup winner” label(hardly played in 1994 by the way)

Without the World Cup 2002 what the hell does he bring to the table?

And you are even more overrated

Please enrol here

English Schools in Brazil | ESL BASE
Click to expand...

Me ???? overrated player ????? hahahaha !

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 6, 2025

PDG1978 said: ↑

George Weah in this game is a good option I think:

Click to expand...

But Good One anyway . !

Wiliam Felipe Gracek · Jul 6, 2025

PDG1978 said: ↑

George Weah in this game is a good option I think:

Click to expand...

Great Discovery yours Congratulations dear Mate . !

babaorum · Jul 6, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with trying to find a player who actually got the better of Lilian Thuram. I’ve watched tons of footage, and honestly, I still haven’t found one.

Take Thierry Henry, for example. He managed to dominate world-class full-backs like Cafu and Zanetti, but when it came to Thuram, it was a different story. Every time they faced off, Thuram completely neutralized him. Henry didn’t even try to take him on. He would pass backwards, avoid direct duels, or even switch flanks just to stay away from him. It’s crazy, in one of the videos I watched, you can literally see Henry switch sides after realizing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the left wing against Thuram.

I’ve already looked at clips involving Zidane, Ronaldo, and Henry, and in every single one, Thuram comes out on top. It’s like every video turns into a defensive masterclass from him. Even on the attacking end, when you see Zidane or Baggio making a cross or long pass, Thuram is always the one on the receiving end or cleaning up the play.

@carlito86 do you have any suggestions for other elite dribblers from the late '90s who might’ve actually given Thuram trouble? Because as of now, he’s looking untouchable
Click to expand...

There's one: Munitis, in the EC2000 1/4 final.

babaorum · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

I’d further suggest that Lilian Thuram was the French NTs second most important player after Zinedine Zidane during 1998-2000

In 3rd place I’d put Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez | Lev Yashin Award | 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2000
Click to expand...

The second best player in terms of level of play perhaps, even though I think the whole backline Thuram, Blanc, Desailly, Lizarazu (+ Barthez) was absolutely exceptional during those years (1996-2000: 28 games, 21 wins, 7 draws, 0 defeat, 13 goals against). I'll add Emmanuel Petit who was phenomenal in WC98.

Now if we talk about the most important players (slightly different from 'best players'), then Zidane, Deschamps and Blanc come on top, IMHO.

carlito86 · Jul 6, 2025

It seems that 1997/98 may of been Lilian thurams worst peak season but even then I’m not totally convinced

In 1996/97 he was voted the French player of the year ahead of Zidane and he was also voted the Serie A player of the year
France - Footballer of the Years
Italy - Footballer of the Year

In 1998/99 he was part of the ESM team of the season

The only notable individual honour that Thuram seems to have won in 1998 was his bronze ball at the World Cup

And shockingly he did not even make the ballon dor shortlist

This was a French player who had just won the World Cup on home soil and received the Bronze Ball yet wasn’t even in the top 30 of the Ballon d’Or rankings (ironically, a French award).
1998 Ballon d'Or - Wikipedia

So Thuram was either actually great throughout the year and this was just a case of absolutely shocking oversight

Or Thuram was really not all that special in 1997/98(except vs R9) and in the World Cup

But even then if it can somehow be proven that Thuram wasn’t all that great in Serie A 1997/98(as his ballon dor rankings definitely seem to suggest)

How great was Davor Šuker in La Liga 1997/98?

He only scored 10 La Liga goals and still finished 2nd place on the ballon dor for top scoring in the World Cup

And what about Zidane?

Zidane wasn’t even on the podium for best World Cup players in 1998
That was R9/Suker/Thuram

The Serie A best player was supposedly R9(Dbs calcio and Guerin' Sportivo opted for Francesco Totti instead)

So to me at least it’s inexplicable that Thuram could be fairly penalised like this unless his Serie A performances were of an absolutely terrible standard which I highly doubt anyways

There is another alternative explanation I did not explore and it begins with R

Maybe that is more plausible

babaorum · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

It seems that 1997/98 may of been Lilian thurams worst peak season

In 1996/97 he was voted the French player of the year ahead of Zidane and he was also voted the Serie A player of the year
France - Footballer of the Years
Italy - Footballer of the Year

In 1998/99 he was part of the ESM team of the season

The only notable individual honour that Thuram seems to have won in 1998 was his bronze ball at the World Cup

And shockingly he did not even make the ballon dor shortlist

This was a French player who had just won the World Cup on home soil and received the Bronze Ball yet wasn’t even in the top 30 of the Ballon d’Or rankings (ironically, a French award).
1998 Ballon d'Or - Wikipedia

So Thuram was either actually great throughout the year and this was just a case of absolutely shocking oversight

Or Thuram was really not all that special in 1997/98(except vs R9) and in a 7 game tournament known as the World Cup

But even then if it can be proven that Thuram wasn’t all that great in Serie A 1997/98

How great was Davor Šuker in La Liga 1997/98?

He only scored 10 La Liga goals and still finished 2nd place on the ballon dor for top scoring in the World Cup

And what about Zidane?

Zidane wasn’t even on the podium for best World Cup players in 1998
That was R9/Suker/Thuram

The Serie A best player was supposedly R9(Dbs calcio and Guerin' Sportivo opted for Francesco Totti instead)

So to me at least it’s inexplicable that Thuram could be fairly penalised like this unless his Serie A performances were of an absolutely terrible standard which I highly doubt anyways

There is another alternative explanation I did not explore and it begins with R

Maybe that is more plausible
Click to expand...

I got the feeling that Thuram has always been slightly underrated, until this day. Maybe because people prefer more flashy, refined, offensive-orientated fullbacks (and yet looking at his numbers in WC98, Thuram was quite inclined to move forward).

He was just as good as a centre-back. At that position, he was outstanding in WC06.

Isaías Silva Serafim · Jul 6, 2025

PDG1978 said: ↑

George Weah in this game is a good option I think:

Click to expand...

Wow I counted 3/4 duels won vs Thuram on this game. It would be interesting to see how many duels he won in total across all games against Thuram. He must be the best defensive 1v1 defender of all times

PDG1978 · Jul 6, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

Wow I counted 3/4 duels won vs Thuram on this game. It would be interesting to see how many duels he won in total across all games against Thuram. He must be the best defensive 1v1 defender of all times
Click to expand...

I guess it's hard to be sure if it's all actions (and all moments vs Thuram), though the full match might be available I guess also.

3/4 with the 1/4 being a corner won (for AC Milan) after a Thuram intervention, (and the 3 times being movements past Thuram by Weah ;setting up a chance and having a shot on two of those occasions) I guess you mean)?

babaorum · Jul 6, 2025

Isaías Silva Serafim said: ↑

Wow I counted 3/4 duels won vs Thuram on this game. It would be interesting to see how many duels he won in total across all games against Thuram. He must be the best defensive 1v1 defender of all times
Click to expand...

A dozen of years ago, I made an analysis of OPTA stats that were available at that time for some players, including Thuram. This concerned the World Cups from 1966 to 2014.

I discovered that Thuram won 75% of his duels in WC98, which was back then the highest ever for a fullback (and the fifth highest overall, the first being Laurent Blanc, with a stunning 83.7 %).

Isaías Silva Serafim · Jul 6, 2025

babaorum said: ↑

A dozen of years ago, I made an analysis of OPTA stats that were available at that time for some players, including Thuram. This concerned the World Cups from 1966 to 2014.

I discovered that Thuram won 75% of his duels in WC98, which was back then the highest ever for a fullback (and the fifth highest overall, the first being Laurent Blanc, with a stunning 83.7 %).
Click to expand...

I would say it's easier for a CB to have a higher duel percent than for a fullback or defensive midfielder. The cbs rarely duel vs wingers or attacking midfielders

Isaías Silva Serafim · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

It seems that 1997/98 may of been Lilian thurams worst peak season but even then I’m not totally convinced

In 1996/97 he was voted the French player of the year ahead of Zidane and he was also voted the Serie A player of the year
France - Footballer of the Years
Italy - Footballer of the Year

In 1998/99 he was part of the ESM team of the season

The only notable individual honour that Thuram seems to have won in 1998 was his bronze ball at the World Cup

And shockingly he did not even make the ballon dor shortlist

This was a French player who had just won the World Cup on home soil and received the Bronze Ball yet wasn’t even in the top 30 of the Ballon d’Or rankings (ironically, a French award).
1998 Ballon d'Or - Wikipedia

So Thuram was either actually great throughout the year and this was just a case of absolutely shocking oversight

Or Thuram was really not all that special in 1997/98(except vs R9) and in the World Cup

But even then if it can somehow be proven that Thuram wasn’t all that great in Serie A 1997/98(as his ballon dor rankings definitely seem to suggest)

How great was Davor Šuker in La Liga 1997/98?

He only scored 10 La Liga goals and still finished 2nd place on the ballon dor for top scoring in the World Cup

And what about Zidane?

Zidane wasn’t even on the podium for best World Cup players in 1998
That was R9/Suker/Thuram

The Serie A best player was supposedly R9(Dbs calcio and Guerin' Sportivo opted for Francesco Totti instead)

So to me at least it’s inexplicable that Thuram could be fairly penalised like this unless his Serie A performances were of an absolutely terrible standard which I highly doubt anyways

There is another alternative explanation I did not explore and it begins with R

Maybe that is more plausible
Click to expand...

Thuram were 25th highest rated at DBS calcio. It's far away from his 1st in 96/97 and 8th in 98/99 but it's far from being terrible. Maybe he was a victim of his own level in the previous season making it seem like he did very badly but not in an absolute sense but in relation to his own level.

Isaías Silva Serafim · Jul 6, 2025

babaorum said: ↑

I got the feeling that Thuram has always been slightly underrated, until this day. Maybe because people prefer more flashy, refined, offensive-orientated fullbacks (and yet looking at his numbers in WC98, Thuram was quite inclined to move forward).

He was just as good as a centre-back. At that position, he was outstanding in WC06.
Click to expand...

A little like Maldini at LB/CB right?

SayWhatIWant · Jul 6, 2025

carlito86 said: ↑

It seems that 1997/98 may of been Lilian thurams worst peak season but even then I’m not totally convinced

In 1996/97 he was voted the French player of the year ahead of Zidane and he was also voted the Serie A player of the year
France - Footballer of the Years
Italy - Footballer of the Year

In 1998/99 he was part of the ESM team of the season

The only notable individual honour that Thuram seems to have won in 1998 was his bronze ball at the World Cup

And shockingly he did not even make the ballon dor shortlist

This was a French player who had just won the World Cup on home soil and received the Bronze Ball yet wasn’t even in the top 30 of the Ballon d’Or rankings (ironically, a French award).
1998 Ballon d'Or - Wikipedia

So Thuram was either actually great throughout the year and this was just a case of absolutely shocking oversight

Or Thuram was really not all that special in 1997/98(except vs R9) and in the World Cup

But even then if it can somehow be proven that Thuram wasn’t all that great in Serie A 1997/98(as his ballon dor rankings definitely seem to suggest)

How great was Davor Šuker in La Liga 1997/98?

He only scored 10 La Liga goals and still finished 2nd place on the ballon dor for top scoring in the World Cup

And what about Zidane?

Zidane wasn’t even on the podium for best World Cup players in 1998
That was R9/Suker/Thuram

The Serie A best player was supposedly R9(Dbs calcio and Guerin' Sportivo opted for Francesco Totti instead)

So to me at least it’s inexplicable that Thuram could be fairly penalised like this unless his Serie A performances were of an absolutely terrible standard which I highly doubt anyways

There is another alternative explanation I did not explore and it begins with R

Maybe that is more plausible
Click to expand...

WC POTT was voted BEFORE the final. This is an important distinction - given Thuram secured victory with two goals in the semis, and Zidane had missed a portion of the tourney due to red card. Of course, dropping one of the best if not the best WC final performance would change the calculus.