00:01As host nation, France would have been under the microscope anyway, but an embarrassing
00:07capitulation in the final qualifying stages for the 1994 World Cup intensified the pressure.
00:16Gérard Houllier had been sacked as coach, replaced by his assistant Aimé Jacquet,
00:22who in the minds of the French media carried baggage from the 94 debacle.
00:28For Jacquet, there was only one way to go. Invest in youth and start again.
00:34Fortunately for him and for France, a young midfielder of Algerian descent was crying out for selection.
00:43Zinedine Zidane made his international debut in August 1994 at the age of 22.
00:50Five months later, an incident in England seemed initially to be a disaster for France's national
00:55team. Instead, it was the making of their surprising success.
01:02Eric Cantona assaulted a spectator in the Premier League, was banned for the rest of the season,
01:07and Jacquet stripped him of the French captaincy.
01:12Given his head, Zidane took over as the national team's playmaker,
01:16and the brilliant but abrasive and disruptive Cantona never played for his country again.
01:23Jacquet also transitioned winger David Ginola and striker Jean-Pierre Papin out of the side.
01:31And closer to the World Cup introduced youngsters Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and David Trezeguet.
01:41The French media were skeptical, many calling for the coach to be dumped. But with a fresh dynamic,
01:48the team exceeded all expectations, bounding through the group stage with nine goals to one.
01:55But a 2-1 win against Croatia in the semi-final was not enough to change the perception that Brazil
02:01would breeze to victory in the final. But Jacquet had discussed with Zidane a weakness in Brazil's
02:10defense at set pieces, and Zidane exploited it. 27 minutes into the final, he headed his first into
02:17the net from a corner kick, and 19 minutes later, another corner kick, another header, another goal.
02:26With Ronaldo unable to raise a challenge and the rest of the Brazilian team unable to step up,
02:32the French team breezed to an unlikely victory. Emmanuel Petit's 93rd-minute goal providing a 3-0 scoreline,
02:40the most decisive victory in any World Cup final. Zidane was man of the match, and while his best
02:47football was still ahead of him, it established him as the game's glamour star heading into the new millennium.
02:55Of 98's other giant personalities, Ronaldo too would eventually fulfill his destiny.
03:02David Beckham's career would blossom going on to riches,
03:06celebrity, and ultimately forgiveness from England fans. Gazza's story was not so happy.
03:13But that's the nature of sport. It's the contrast between triumph and despair,
03:18which makes football's greatest stage such intriguing theatre.
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