Franz Anton Beckenbauer was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed der Kaiser, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder, but made his name as a central defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper.
The France national football team represents France in men's international football. It is controlled by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours and imagery reference two national symbols: the French blue-white-red tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at Centre National du Football in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.
Marcel Desailly is a former professional footballer, capable of playing as both centre-back or defensive midfielder. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won several titles, including UEFA Champions League medals with both Marseille and AC Milan, and also played for Nantes and Chelsea, among other teams. At international level, he collected 116 caps between 1993 and 2004, scoring three goals, and was a member of the France international squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest defenders in the history of the sport.
Didier Claude Deschamps is a French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, namely Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed "the water-carrier", Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on 103 occasions and took part at three UEFA European Football Championships and one FIFA World Cup, captaining his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Raymond Kopa was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three European Cups.
Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo was a Brazilian professional football player, coordinator and manager, who played as a forward.
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team plays most of its home matches at the Stade de Luxembourg in Luxembourg City.
La Berrichonne de Châteauroux, commonly referred to as La Berrichonne or simply Châteauroux, is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1916. The team currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. The club has played only one season in Division 1; the 1997–98 season.
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is known for his career at Chelsea, where he is the club’s top goalscorer as a foreign player and is currently the club's fourth highest goalscorer of all time. In 2012, Drogba was named Chelsea's greatest ever player in a poll of 20,000 fans conducted by Chelsea Magazine. In 2020, he was named in the Chelsea team of the 2010–2020 decade. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, he was known for his pace, aerial abilities, and powerful and accurate strikes. Drogba was named African Footballer of the Year twice.
The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Guépards , represents Benin in men's international association football and are controlled by the Benin Football Federation. They were known as Dahomey until 1975, when the Republic of Dahomey became Benin.
ASEC Mimosas is an Ivorian professional football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ASEC Abidjan, especially in international club competitions. Founded in 1948, they are the most successful side in Ivorian football, having won the Ivorian Premier Division 29 times and the 1998 CAF Champions League. In addition, ASEC's youth academy, known as Académie MimoSifcom, has produced a number of famous players predominantly based in top foreign leagues, including Bonaventure Kalou, Didier Zokora, Emmanuel Eboué, Bakari Koné, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, Romaric, Boubacar Barry, Didier Ya Konan, Kolo Touré, Yaya Touré and Odilon Kossounou, all of whom have played internationally.
Néstor Ariel Fabbri is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a defender.
Didier Six is a French football coach and former player, who most recently worked as manager of the Guinea national football team until October 2021.
Aviron Bayonnais Football Club is a French association football club based in Bayonne. The club is a part of a sports club that was formed in 1904 that is also known for its rugby union club. The team is known primarily for youth development.
Diego Fernando Pérez Aguado, nicknamed "Ruso", is a Uruguayan football manager and former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He has played 89 matches for the Uruguay national football team, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2011 editions of the Copa América. He is currently the manager of the Uruguay A' national team.
Rodez Aveyron Football is a French association football club based in Rodez. The club was founded in 1929 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. The club plays its home matches at the Stade Paul Lignon located within the city. The women's squad was founded in 1993 and are known as the Rafettes. They play in the Division 1 Féminine, the top division in France.
Didier Couécou is a former French footballer who played striker. He was part of France national football team at the FIFA World Cup 1966.
Benoît Guy Robert "Ben" Costil is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.
The France national football team manager was first established on 25 April 1964 following the appointment of the country's first national football team manager Henri Guérin. Before this, the France national football team was selected by a selection committee, a process in which the French Football Federation would select coaches and trainers from within the country or abroad to prepare the side for single games and tournaments, but with all decisions ultimately remaining under the control of the committee. From 1904–1913, the USFSA headed the committee, which was referred to as the Commission Centrale d'Association. The committee was controlled by André Espir and André Billy and featured little to no physical preparation for upcoming matches. In 1913, the Comité Français Interfédéral, a precursor to the French Football Federation, took over the committee following the USFSA becoming affiliated with the organization and secretary general Henri Delaunay took control.
Didier Lamkel Zé is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for TFF First League club Fatih Karagümrük.
