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The head coach of the French national team Raymond Domenech announced the composition of the French national team for the World Cup and surprised by succumbing to pressure and including the surnames of Franck Ribery from "Marseille" and Pascal Chimbonda from "Wigan," who have never represented the national team before.
Due to this call-up, the 23-year-old "Marseille" midfielder who has played excellently this season will have to miss the European Under-21 Championship, which will take place at the end of this month in Portugal. Also invited to the team after a two-year break is "Manchester United" striker Louis Saha, who performed very successfully in the second half of the season.
Domenech also announced that the main goalkeeper for the team in Germany will be the long-time team member Fabien Barthez, while one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Europe, "Lyon" goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, will once again have to miss the tournament on the bench.
In addition to F. Barthez, there are five more players left in the French national team who triumphed together in the 1998 World Cup - defender Lilian Thuram, midfielders Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane, who announced the end of his career after the championship, as well as the attacking duo Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet.
In this tournament, the team will not see players like the "Arsenal" defender Robert Pires, who publicly criticized the coach, the "Barcelona" winger Ludovic Giuly, and the "Fenerbahce" attacking leader Nicolas Anelka, who did not find their place in Domenech's tactical schemes.
France will start the World Cup in Group G along with Switzerland, South Korea, and Togo. The French team will play their first match against the Swiss national team in Germany on June 13.
Composition of the French national team:
Goalkeepers: Fabien Barthez (Marseille), Grégory Coupet (Lyon), Mickaël Landreau (Nantes).
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Lyon), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle United), Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan Athletic), William Gallas (Chelsea), Gaël Givet (Monaco), Willy Sagnol (Bayern), Mikaël Silvestre (Manchester United), Lilian Thuram (Juventus).
Midfielders: Vikash Dhorasoo (P.S.G), Alou Diarra (Lens), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Juventus), Zinédine Zidane (Real).
Forwards: Djibril Cissé (Liverpool), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Franck Ribéry (Marseille), Louis Saha (Manchester United), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Lyon).
