Unmissable left winger of the AJ Auxerre de Guy Roux from 1992 to 2000, Bernard Diomède entered history by winning the 1998 World Cup with the French team, being established on three consecutive matches by Aimé Jacquet (against Saudi Arabia, Denmark and Paraguay in the knockout stages). At 51, he has been one of the selectors of French youth teams for 10 years and could afford a second title.
Diomède was indeed in charge of the Tricolore U20 during their coronation at the International Festival Espoirs Tournament Maurice-Revello (formerly Toulon tournament) in 2022, with Johann Lepenant, Maghnes Akliouche, Hugo Ekitike and Sékou Mara in the team. The blueberries are back in the final of the competition organized in the Bouches-du-Rhône after their success on Friday, before Mexico (3-1).
In Salon-de-Provence, France U20 opened the scoring by Nantesis Louis Leroux (14th) before being joined at the scoring at the start of the second period by Karol Velazquez (48th). Steve Ngoura, the star striker of this 2005 generation and captain of Diomède, then scored a sumptuous goal by making two sombreos on two defenders before deceiving an exterior of the law Emmanuel Ochoa (no relationship with the Legend Guillermo Ochoa).
Diomède with a zidane
The players of Bernard Diomède will challenge Saudi Arabia on Sunday (6 p.m.), still at the Marcel-Roustan stadium in Salon-de-Provence. France can afford its 13th coronation in 48 editions of this competition created in Toulon by Maurice Revello in 1967.
The French U20 team is led by many young people who have evolved in Ligue 1 this season, such as the Toulouse Jaydee Canvot and Noah Edjouma, the Nantes Louis Leroux and Dehmaine Tabibou Assoumani (author of the 3rd goal against the Mexicans of a free kick), the Montpelliérain Rabby Nzingoula and Le Parisien Ibrahim. Elyaz Zidane, the youngest son of Zinedine and central defender of the Betis reserve, will try to win the trophy in his birth department.
