Football Facts: 7 Things You Must Know About France

You can’t kick off the football season without knowing your football facts – you risk making a fool of yourself with that one friend who knows the game like the back of their hand, or you’ll look pretty out of place at the pub, surrounded by (enthusiastic) football fanatics. But worry not – we have your back: Our series of football-themed posts centered around our favorite football nations will give you a quick and easily digestible overview of the history, players, and lingo that make these big football nations tick. First off: France, the host of this year’s Euro Cup.

1. The legacy

After the most dramatic and commented “headbutt” of modern football’s history in France’s game against Italy in 2006, the French team somehow lost their mojo: The team was so dysfunctional they actually ended up striking because of the exclusion of one player following an altercation. Even though the team faced some internal challenges lately (aka scandals that made national news), les Bleus are not only ready to welcome Europe, but they’re also prepared to show everyone – on home soil, nonetheless – that they are ready to rock again.

2. The stars

French players can be found in the best clubs of the European leagues – here are some of the must-know names:

Paul Pogba – Position: Midfielder, Club: Juventus Turin (Italy)

Olivier Giroud – Position: Striker, Club: Arsenal (England)

Patrice Evra –  Position: Defender, Club: Juventus Turin (England)

Hugo Lloris – Position: Goalkeeper, Club: Tottenham (England)

Dimitri Payet – Position: Midfielder, Club: West Ham Utd (England)

Blaise Matuidi – Position: Midfielder, Club: Paris St Germain (France)

Antoine Griezmann – Position: Striker, Club: Atlético de Madrid (Spain)

Anthony Martial – Position: Forward, Club: Manchester United

3. The style: Attack!

With top strikers and midfielders such as Griezmann, Matuidi and Pogba, France has a well-balanced team with some good attacking options. Their style of play has evolved a lot in recent years and is much more based on counter-attacks with faster plays than before.

4. The coach: Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps (also known as “Dédé” DD in French) is a former defensive midfielder who played for clubs such as Chelsea, Juventus and Marseille. He won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993. DD was among the 23 players that won the World Cup in France in 1998. After retiring as a player, he trained as a football manager and in 2003 he started coaching AS Monaco FC  with some impressive results in the Champions League. In 2012 Didier Deschamps succeeded Laurent Blanc, a former teammate, and became the head coach of the French team.

5. Football vocab “en Français”

French is spoken by approximately 220 million people all over the world, in countries as varied as Belgium, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Algeria. Here are your must-know football words en Français:

But – Goal

Hors-jeu – Offside

Millieu – Midfield

Attaquant– Striker

Défenseur– Defender

Capitaine– Captain

Arbitre – Referee

Tirs au but – Penalty shoot-out

Prolongation – Extra time

Coup franc – Free kick

Corner – Corner kick

6. Chant with them

“Allez les Bleus, Allez les Bleus!” (It means: “Let’s go the bleus! Let’s go the bleus!”) – This is the most common of all French chants.

“Qui  ne saute n’est pas français” (It means: “Those who don’t jump are not French…”) – Mixed and remixed in different ways depending on the city, this song is a French classic.

“Aux Armes, nous sommes les Français” (“To your weapons! We are the French…”) – This song is a typical supporter chant with some warrior spirit.

“I will survive” – Yes, Gloria Gaynor’s smash-hit was made into France’s victory anthem in 1998, and it has stayed in everybody’s mind ever since.

7. And then celebrate on “LES CHAMPS ELYSEES”

As the host (with the most), France will probably go all out with giant screens and parties: However, the celebrations only really kick off if (and when!) France reaches the finals or wins the whole tournament like in 1998 and 2000. Les Champs Elysée, France’s most famous avenue, will become crowded with thousands of super excited fans chanting, partying and drinking Champagne until the wee hours of the morning.

Image by Mariusz Cieszewski / Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Flickr/__Creative Commons