In an interview with So Foot magazine, Stéphane Guivarc’h looks back on his role in the French team during the 1998 World Cup, which he finished without a single goal.
The year 2023 marked the 25the anniversary of the coronation of the French team at the 1998 World Cup. The first star won by the Blues. A memorable memory for an entire generation, but which left a bitter taste for some. Starting striker for the Tricolores, Stéphane Guivarc’h has still not completely digested the fact of having remained silent during the competition, he who had just had a full season with Auxerre (45 goals in all competitions).
“My only regret is that I’m missing a goal and I had the opportunity to score one in the final (against Brazil, editor’s note)he recalls in an interview given to So Foot. I would have preferred to score 20 fewer with Auxerre and score in the World Cup final! I played way too much that year, 72 matches I think, I was burned out. » His contracture suffered during the preparation camp, in Tignes, and his injury against South Africa, during the opening match of the World Cup, did not help anything.
“Zidane, before these two goals, it’s very average”
Returning to the group from the third group match, against Denmark, the former number 9 played “until the pain ends” in this tournament. Which perhaps cost him more than this frustration, always present, of not having found the net. Because at the time, having a good World Cup could have allowed him to claim the Ballon d’Or, finally won that year by Zinedine Zidane, author of a double against the Seleçao on the evening of July 12 (3 -0).
“Yes, yes… But even if I score the two goals that Zidane scores in the final, eh. Because Zidane, his World Cup before these two goals, it’s very average, eh”cowardly Stéphane Guivarc’h, to whom Aimé Jacquet had entrusted a thankless role within the 1998 world champions. “I was alone at the front, with Youri (Djorkaeff) and Zinedine behind, of course, but on the sides, it was Liza (Bixente Lizarazu) or Lilian (Thuram), whatever”, recalls the ex-international (14 caps, 1 goal).
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“Aimé wanted a compact eleven. He said to me: ‘You’re doing the laundry thoroughly.’ And I knew that after that I was going to go out after an hour so that Duga (Christophe Dugarry) or (David) Trezeguet could inject new blood. That was the dealhe remembers. I think it’s good when it’s square. I have very, very good memories of Aimé. Very respectful, correct, who says why you play, why you don’t play, because there are 22 of us anyway, there are eleven watching and who would like to play too. »
“I was doing all the undermining work”
The former AJA scorer therefore does not hold a grudge against the coach at the time, in the midst of a media storm before the World Cup. “We were getting smashed, Aimé in the lead! So he went with a more closed system because the strength of the team was its concrete defense. He knew that we would concede few or no goals and that we would always have something to play for, with the talent of Youri and Zizou, in particular. But obviously I was doing all the work of undermining the first defender, sweeping the front of the attack…”
This energy deployed to press, Stéphane Guivarc’h no longer had it to conclude. “I would have had to leave less strength there to maintain lucidity, but once again the pattern was hyper defensive. Apart from the final, I had absolutely no chances. (…) My only goalscoring regrets are against Brazil. I have three opportunities. The first, there’s already a penalty normally, the other he rips off my jersey. But hey, on the other two I can score. » Zinedine Zidane and Emmanuel Petit took care of it.
