France

The French national football side played their inaugural match in 1904 in the Evence Coppee Trophy, in what was a 3-3 draw against Belgium.

For most of the 20th century the French side played at the Parc des Princes in Paris, but they now play at the Stade de France. The stadium was built prior to the 1998 World Cup, hosting its first game in January 1998, a 1-0 France win over Spain. The 81,338-capacity stadium cost just €290million to build. In comparison, Wembley cost a mega £757million. 

France are one of the most successful footballing nations in Europe. They won their first international competition in 1984, winning the Euros on home soil. The French, spearheaded by Michel Platini, won every game they contested, culminating in their 2-0 victory over Spain in the final. Their success in 1984 is in no small part down to Platini, who scored nine goals in the tournament. Frank Arnesen, the competition's second highest goalscorer, managed three.

The golden generation of French football came at the turn of the century. They hosted and won the 1998 World Cup. Under the tutelage of Aime Jacquet, the French side dismantled Brazil 3-0 in the final, thanks to a two goal virtuoso performance from Zinedine Zidane. Jacquet's successor Roger Lemerre brought further success to France when he won the Euros in 2000. The French side beat Italy 2-1 thanks to David Trezeguet's golden goal. Coincidently, Lemerre managed as many French games as his predecessor Jacquet (53), and amazingly both managers won 34 games and a major international trophy.

Since their successful start to the 21st century, the French side have started to wane. They reached the World Cup final in 2006 but in 2002 and 2010 they could not get past the group stages. In the Euros, they have not managed to progress past the quarter-final stages since their success back in 2000.

Defender Lilian Thuram racked up a record 142 caps for his country, scoring two goals along the way. These two goals are of huge importance; they were the goals that saw France beat Croatia 2-1 in the 1998 World Cup semi-finals. With 51 goals to his name, Thierry Henry is the record scorer. However, the two greatest French players, without a shadow of a doubt, are Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini. Zidane scored 31 goals in his 108 appearances, winning both the World Cup and the Euros. As for Platini, he managed 41 goals in 72 appearances, helping France win the Euros.

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