LogFAQs > #904904835

Ranking the hype for French Finals (before kickoff) in my short lifetime,

5. 2016 Euros

Deschamps' first final, this team was weird to follow, we knew by then that France had up and coming talent, but we stuck with a lot of vets, quite a few of them were unlikeable too. The performances were rather weird too, often disjointed and Kante/Matuidi didn't seem to mesh. The win against Germany was great, I got to experience it in France as well and buzz was building. It happened to clash with a couple of turning points for me however that had me preoccupied and that got in the way of fully embracing the team. Didn't help that due to a train delay I ended up missing the majority of the game.

4. 2000 Euros

This was what I felt was the best French team I had ever seen, looking back you can certainly argue that this team was better than the 98' side. France obviously had a target on their back after the WC win and they got the group of death right away. They managed to overcome that fairly easily. The knockouts were competitive but this was when faith in Zidane was reaching a monumental level. The scariest part of the buildup was Holland vs. Italy. Even as a kid, you could tell both teams in that semi-final were playing at a very high level and I was freaking out. In the end we won, but this was maybe the first tournament where I learned how important defense was.

3. 2006 World Cup

In terms of buildup to reach the final, this had an almost movie-like narrative going for it. The current generation wasn't getting it done, so they bring the band back together and leading the charge was of course Zidane. Once we hit the knockout stages, it was the wildest of rides. France looked so unconvincing in the group stages, but once we hit winner take all games, Zidane made us believe all over again. First they disposed of a good looking Spain squad, then they took out a Brazil team full of star players, then they beat a talented Portugal which had on their way to the semis beaten some strong sides. Meanwhile Italy was looking better and better with each passing round. Given that we all knew this was Zidane's last hurrah, the whole thing just felt like a bigger event than a World Cup final usually is. Things didn't pan out in the end, but the lead up to it was so damn good.

2. 2018 World Cup

Recency bias I guess, but there's something about these kids. They are playing with a maturity and tactical discipline these young squads don't normally have. Each round they have had to face star players who can change a game on their own and each time they have risen to the occasion. I'm not used to seeing a team of so many talented stars just buying in to a collective effort like this. 98 was full of leaders who got business done, but 2018, you'd expect these guys to perhaps crack a little under pressure. They might in the finals, but the road to the final feels similar to 2006, only instead of being a generation's last stand, its a new group of players announcing themselves to the world.

1. 1998 World Cup

First final, first football tournament I ever got to really follow and everything went perfectly. The drama was there, the final boss was a very intimidating Brazil and France had just been through a war with Croatia. This was a WC where I didn't follow any of the backstage shenanigans, didn't really know about the Ronaldo stuff and didn't realise how special the French team's makeup even was. I've always been in a multicultural environment, moreso than most, "black-blanc-beur" didn't feel weird, but it might have been one of the most important aspects of the team. All I knew back then was, we were winning and it felt like we would never lose, no matter how much Brazil was being hyped. This felt like the buildup between two of the greatest teams, just cos it was the first WC I ever got to watch.
---

Congrats to Eli Ayase's #1 fan BK_Sheikah00 on winning the BYIG Guru Contest.