The defeat conceded in the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup was a real heartbreak for Les Bleus. Two years after their victory at the Euro, the first title for the French team, Henri Michel’s men were determined to take their revenge, four years after the tragedy in Seville. Unforgettable conquerors of Brazil in the quarter-finals, Les Bleus were nevertheless going to come up against Germany once again. And this time, France could never believe it.
The defeat was all the more difficult to digest for Michel Platini because, like Alain Giresse, he played this World Cup weakened by an Achilles tendon injury. At only 31 years old, the French playmaker intends to distance himself from the French team, playing only intermittently. The results of the Blues are suffering and France, four years after its victory at home, is quickly assured of not being able to defend its title.
“I am sad”
Disappointment is also in store for Juventus. Title holders, the Old Lady must this time settle for second place behind Diego Maradona’s Napoli. A failure from which Michel Platini will not recover. The day before the last match of the season, the former Stéphanois announced his retirement at only 31 years old.
“It’s over… I decided to quit football… I can’t hide that I’m sad… But I couldn’t continue, because the pleasure was no longer there…” he wrote in a press release sent by his agent, Bernard Genestar.
