France won its first World Cup on July 12th, 1998 beating Brazil in the final 3-0, a team that had stars such as Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo. Zinedine Zidane scored two goals at the Stade de France. Thousands of thrilled French fans came down to the Champs-Elysees to celebrate the country’s first World Cup win. A picture of Zidane was projected on the Arc de Triumph with the words “Merci ZiZou”.
The French triumph showcases the rich cultural diversity of the country that is best seen on the football pitch. Zidane is a second-generation immigrant from Algeria. Not just him, the 1998 team had many other players whose roots go back to Ghana, Armenia, Senegal, and Guadeloupe. Typically called “Les Bleus”, the media nicknamed the French football team “Black, Blanc, Beur” or “Black, White and Arab”.
Many felt this was the best example of multicultural France, the result of the country’s successful immigration policies. The French newspaper Le Monde said the win was a “symbol of the diversity and of the unity of the country”. French President Jacques Chirac said it was a “tricolor and multicolor team that created a beautiful image of France and its humanity”.
More Footballing Success and a Multi-Cultural Society
Since then, there have been racial tensions with a far-right political group asking for the inclusion of more white players in the team. But football has played a major part in keeping French society inclusive and more tolerant. The country’s friendly immigration policy helped France win the Euro Cup in 2000 and its second FIFA World Cup in 2018.
A Long History of Diversity
The association of football in France and immigration began in the early 20th century with the AS Saint-Etienne and RC Lens clubs that had roots in the mining communities and had many Italian and Polish immigrants.
- Stefan Dembicki, better known as Stanis, played for RC Lens and scored 16 goals in a game in 1942.
- Raoul Diagne was the first full-black player who played for France in the 1938 World Cup. This versatile defender was of Senegalese descent and was born in French Guiana.
- Larbi Benbarek from Morocco scored 10 goals in one season in 1938. He played 19 games for France and 113 for Atletico Madrid.
Larbi was so skilled that Pelé once said that he was the “God of Football”. There are still many football images that will reveal Larbi’s awesome skills.
But these were still isolated incidents. It was only during the 1950s and 60s that players of foreign descent started to arrive in large numbers, especially those from Northern Africa.
- Rachid Mekhloufi from Algeria was selected for the French team. However, he fled to fight in the War of Independence of Algeria only to return later.
The port city of Marseille has a long history of immigration, particularly from Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Zidane, who is also from the city, has Algerian roots.
France restructured its development system in the early 70s after a few years of poor performance. Academies were set up to find and train young players. Many of them came from neighborhoods with a lot of immigrants. This system started giving the country many players, like –
- Marius Tresor who was born in Guadeloupe. Many believe he is one of the all time best defenders.
- Amadou Tigana, the midfield maestro from Mali.
- Thierry Henry born to parents from Martinique and Guadeloupe.
- Patrick Vieira of Senegalese descent.
- Zinedine Zidane, who has Algerian Kabyle descent.
Now, there are many players in the team with non-European heritage who have played more than 100 games for France.
The Modern Day
France again won the World Cup in 2018. This team too was a melting pot with 17 players who could have represented another country.
- The star of the show Kylian Mbappe’s mother came from Algeria and father from Cameroon.
- Paul Pogba’s parents came from Guinea.
They are both from the suburbs of Paris. Many others of this team can be traced to other places like –
- Raphaël Varane from Martinique
- Jules Koundé from Benin
- Matteo Guendouzi who had a French mother and Moroccan father
- Aurélien Tchouaméni who has a Cameroonian descent
- Ousmane Dembélé with a Mauritanian-Senegalese mother and Malian father
- Karim Benzema with roots in Algeria
- Kingsley Coman with his father from Guadeloupe
- Ibrahima Konaté whose parents are from Mali
- Even the parents of N’Golo Kanté are from Mali.
All around the world, the success of a multi-ethnic French team has been widely praised. It has become a role model for the rest of the world on how a society can advance through inclusion and has a positive impact on sports as well. The success of second and third-generation immigrants is certainly advancing the French team.
