A casual observer of the modern game will tell you that the future of football lies in Spain, who have had success throughout all international age groups but also European dominance with their club sides. A more interested observer will tell you that Germany has the potential to be the future Kings of Europe and the world. You only have to look as far as the all German Champions League final. However, a dedicated follower of football will tell you that France are developing into a country that will compete with Germany and Spain for many years to come. A patriotic Englishman will argue that England are in with a shout, but they will even be shot down by the casual observer.
So why am I so confident of the future of French football? Well apart from that opening paragraph sounding like the start of a very bad joke, there is truth in what I say about the French and their rise in European and world football.
Lets start by looking at the club level. Ligue 1 is a league which is starting to gain a lot of exposure which has been previously lacking in past years. However, the reason behind it’s new found exposure is because of the billions pumped into clubs like PSG and Monaco. With their money they are now starting pluck the finest talent from all over the world. Cavani, Falcao, Joao Moutinho, James Rodriguez, David Beckham, the list is ever expanding. These teams are now considered heavyweights in European football and more and more are starting to watch some of the bigger clashes. With this increasing support, the young players who have started their professional careers at French clubs are finding more reasons to stay in the country rather than look for a move abroad as soon as possible. If more young talent are deciding to stay and clubs like PSG and Monaco continue to recruit the best talent from around the world then we will see Ligue 1 regarded as one of the best leagues in the world.
Now it’s time to focus on the international stage. It’s no secret that today’s national team are simply not even close to the quality that was on show when France won the 1998 World Cup. The days of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira linking up are long gone. Patience amongst the fans of today are running thin with under performers such as Benzema, Nasri and Giroud the heart of the frustration. But all is not lost for the French national team because if we delve deeper into the international set up and look beyond the first team then all observers will find French success. The U20 World Cup, for example, was won by the French and they are in the final of the U19 European Championship. A group of players in these squads will definitely be scratching at the surface of the first team in years to come.
Success, future, club and international.
