A few weeks before its 47th edition, from 1st to 15th June, the Maurice Revello Tournament goes back in time. Since 1967, thousands of players have trodden the Festival’s pitches. Among them, nearly 2000 became international within the sixty-five different nations who have taken part in the competition. To travel through the Tournament’s fifty years of history, each one marked by some famous football players at their debuts, we have imagined twelve dream teams, country by country. Twelfth and last best XI, France.
Fabien Barthez (1991) : Champion's League winner in 1993. France champion with Monaco in 1997 and 2000. World (1998) and European (2000) champion with France national team. England champion with Manchester United in 2001 and 2003. Fabien Barthez won all the most important titles in the world, except the Maurice Revello Tournament that he played in 1991 and whose he finished second with France.
Willy Sagnol (1997) : All the football lovers remember how good he could cross. He could put the wherever he wanted from his right wing. Sagnol made an extraordinary career, lifting a Champion's League in 2001 and five German leagues with Bayern Munich between 2000 and 2008. He also won the Maurice Revello Tournament in 1997 with Les Bleuets.
Lilian Thuram (1992) : He is the French most-capped player with 142 games. The defender offered the qualification for the World Cup 1998 final by scoring an unexepected brace against Croatia. He played for AS Monaco, Parma, Juventus before to end his career at FC Barcelona. He competed in the Maurice Revello Tournament in 1992 and finished third behind Yougoslavia an Portugal.
Lilian Thuram during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1992
Laurent Blanc (1986) : During his participation in the Maurice Revello Tournament 1986 with France, he scored a goal against Cameroon. Twelve years after, at 32 years old, he won the World Cup with France. He also lifted the French league title with Auxerre and the Premier League with Manchester United. As a coach, he won several titles with Bordeaux and PSG.
William Gallas (1997) : He was among the squad that won the Maurice Revello Tournament 1997. Now, he is consultant on the French channel RMC Sport. Before that, he clinched two titles with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006 and ended his career in Australia under the Perth Glory FC shirt in 2014 after twenty years at the highest level.
William Gallas with Mikaël Silvestre and Peter Luccin during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1997
Robert Pirès (1994 and 1995) : He scored against Portugal in the Maurice Revello Tournament 1994 semi-final. The following year, during the 1995 edition, he found the net against Mexico. Robert Pires also won a World Cup in 1998 and the Euro in 2000, not forgetting four titles with Arsenal.
Robert Pirès during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1994
Zinédine Zidane (1991) : His participation in the Maurice Revello Tournament took place in 1991. He is one of the greatest playmakers in the football history. All his skills went famous, as well as his goals against Leverkusen in Champions' League final or Brazil in the World Cup final... A true legend. Zizou keeps writing history now as a coach : he is the only one to have clinch three Champions' League in a row, with Real Madrid.
Zinédine Zidane during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1991
Didier Deschamps (1988) : He joined Franz Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo as he won the World Cup as a player and as a manager. After he won the Maurice Revello Tournament in 1988, he won plenty of titles, as the Champions' League with Olympique Marseille or the Euro with France, each time with the captain armband
Youri Djorkaeff (1989) : He scored a goal during the Maurice Revello Tournament final in 1989 and helped his squad to win the title. With the national team, he scored 28 goals in 82 caps. During all his career, he netted 227 goals in 697 games. He won the World Cup in 1998 and the Euro in 2000.
Youri Djorkaeff with his father, Jean Djorkaeff, during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1989
Jean-Pierre Papin (1985) : He is the only one player to have won the Ballon d'Or while paying for a French side (Olympique Marseille in 1991). He scored his first goal in the Velodrome in 1985 during a France-Spain game of the Maurice Revello Tournament 1985 and finished top scorer of the competition. Papin is a legend and had a gesture with his name : "papinade", which means a bycicle kick, his speciality.
The French team during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1985 with Franck Sauzée and Jean-Pierre Papin
Thierry Henry (1997) : Henry was the top scorer and the best player of the Maurice Revello Tournament 1997, won by France. He made history with Arsenal, where he scored 226 goals in 370 games and clinched seven titles, including two Premier Leagues.
The French team during the Maurice Revello Tournament 1997, with Willy Sagnol and Thierry Henry
Jordan Bozonnet
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : England (1/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Argentina (2/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Italy (3/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Ivory Coast (4/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : USA (5/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Netherlands (6/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Brazil (7/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Japan (8/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Mexico (9/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Portugal (10/12)
Best XIs of the Maurice Revello Tournament : Colombia (11/12)