Forever the first. In 1998, Aimé Jacquet's Blues were the first to lift the holy grail of football – the World Cup – with a grand finale at the Stade de France and an unforgettable 3-0 victory over Ronaldo's Brazil. If the French team did it again in 2018, offering the Rooster its second star under the leadership of Didier Deschamps, the memory of this original triumphant campaign remains vivid and imperishable in the minds of supporters of French football.
However, all is not rosy around this selection which has gloriously marked its time. Every year, often through charity events, the Blues of France 98 try to come together but the esprit de corps is far away. Last July, it was in Aix-en-Provence, within his complex dedicated to five, that Zinedine Zidane gathered around him Didier Deschamps, Bixente Lizarazu, Fabien Barthez, Christian Karembeu, Christophe Dugarry, Bernard Diomède, Alain Boghossian and Lionel Charbonnier. Not much more…
“What is happening today, I regret it”
“ We're trying to get together, we did it in mid-July. I left the association for fifteen years. Things didn't please me. I talked to some guys about it and I preferred to leave without saying it publiclyadmits Emmanuel Petit today on the airwaves of RMC. Zidane? We had a problem when my first book came out. There was no ulterior motive. I said that Zizou had his own personal space with certain players from the France team, like me I have much stronger affinities with certain players. We respect each other without being intimate. Zizou, I don’t know his life or his family… »
The legend of the eternally united French team has lived on. The historic Blues do not belong to a group of inseparable veterans who are friends for life. But were they ever? Certainly not. “ What happens today, I regret itEmmanuel Petit breathes again. In 2018, players called me to come back. I put my ego aside because what we did goes beyond us and belongs to all French people. » However, certain fractures remain. “
Thierry Henry? I have no relations with Titi. We have known each other since Monaco. I'm not going to force friendships. Even in the French team, I went more naturally towards certain guys », admits the last scorer of the 1998 final.
Thierry Henry on the sidelines of the group
“ This is a subject that we raised during the general assembly in Aix at Zizou. We were all gathered at the hotel with our companions, the staff. It was mentioned: why have some guys not come for years? Thierry Henry is not the only onecontinues Emmanuel Petit. Some have good excuses because they have responsibilities in clubs like Pat Vieira. Lolo Blanc, who is also a coach, is nevertheless present every time. »
And to express his regrets again, not without perceptible emotion in his voice: “ What we have done is beyond us. We have entered the history of our country. Even if they don't want to come back, at least let them tell us why. It disappoints me because I like them all. It's been a very long time, for example, since I saw Stéphane Guivarc'h, whom I really liked. Humanly, each player has a wealth… »
