Manager: Jacques Santini
Star Players: Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly
Honours: 1998 World Cup; 1984, 2000 European Championship
Qualification: Winners, Group 1
The current champions flew through their qualifying group, winning all eight of their matches, scoring 29 goals in the process.

Tournament favourites, the French will be a difficult side to beat with a squad of unrivalled depth and quality.

After a humiliating World Cup, France will be hoping that they can re-establish themselves as Europe’s best side and thus become the first team to successfully defend the Henri Delaunay trophy.

European Championship Record

Year

Year

1960: 4th

1984: Winners

1964: Quarter-Finals (DNQ)

1988: Did not qualify

1968: Quarter-Finals (DNQ)

1992: Group Stage

1972: Did not qualify

1996: Semi-Finals

1976: Did not qualify

2000: Winners

1980: Did not qualify

2004: Qualified


The Matches

Date

Opponents

Venue

Comp

KO

13 Jun 04

England

Lisbon (Luz)

ECF

1945

17 Jun 04

Croatia

Leiria

ECF

1945

21 Jun 04

Switzerland

Coimbra

ECF

1945


The Squad

Player

Club

Posn

Caps

Goals

Fabian Barthez

Marseille

G

65

0

Grégory Coupet

Lyon

G

6

0

Mickaël Landreau

Nantes

G

2

0

Jean-Alain Boumsong

Auxerre

D

4

1

Marcel Desailly

Chelsea

D

113

3

William Gallas

Chelsea

D

13

0

Bixente Lizarazu

Bayern Munich

D

92

2

Willy Sagnol

Bayern Munich

D

21

0

Mikaël Silvestre

Manchester Utd (Eng)

D

28

2

Lilian Thuram

Juventus (Ita)

D

96

2

Olivier Dacourt

Roma (Ita)

M

16

1

Ludovic Giuly

Monaco

M

 

 

Claude Makelele

Chelsea (Eng)

M

29

0

Benoît Pedretti

Sochaux

M

12

0

Robert Pires

Arsenal (Eng)

M

67

14

Jérôme Rothen

Monaco

M

4

0

Patrick Vieira

Arsenal

M

66

4

Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid (Spa)

M

87

22

Steve Marlet

Marseille

F

21

5

David Trezeguet

Juventus (Ita)

F

49

28

Thierry Henry

Arsenal (Eng)

F

57

25

Louis Saha

Manchester Utd (Eng)

F

1

1

Sylvain Wiltord

Arsenal (Eng)

F

59

20


Statistics correct up to Holland v France, 31 March 2004