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France – the current FIFA World Cup favorites – have been at the center of discussion when it comes to football, turning out impressive statistics at the tournament.
54 players hail from the suburbs of Paris – enough to assemble two full World Cup squads – and France is the birthplace of 98 players in the World Cup, making up 7.9% of players.
France are in the group stage with Iraq, Senegal and Norway, looking to win another World Cup trophy after their 2022 loss to Argentina. Headlined by stars Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, France’s talent goes beyond their national team. The country is also home to players such as Spain’s Aymeric Laporte and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez. Algeria even have goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of France’s 1998 World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, in their squad.
One of France’s most decorated players includes FOX Sports analyst Thierry Henry, who has appeared in four World Cups, as well as their 1998 victory as their top scorer. A product of the Paris suburbs themselves, Henry weighed in on what it means to see his hometown represent multiple teams at the World Cup and how players learned their basic skills on the streets.
“I want to be extra proud of it because… you know what it means to us that I come from the south of Paris? Obviously, the influence, the street culture, the way we are in Paris. You learn how to protect the ball, skills. We challenge each other…” Henry said ahead of France’s World Cup opener. “Playing on concrete, learning to protect the ball, the demeanor you have, the French demeanor when you arrive on the pitch, especially from the suburbs of Paris, we have that demeanor. It’s one thing.”
FOX Sports’ Zlatan Ibrahimović spent four years in Paris playing for Paris Saint-Germain, testifying to the mass talent the city and country produce.
“I mean, I’m just impressed. The waves of talent they’re producing and like Thierry said, they’re street ballers,” Ibrahimović said. “They bring it on the pitch and it’s acceptable… And imagine the players who didn’t make it to the World Cup. They could also be in the World Cup and dominate in the World Cup.”
