Former France and Real Madrid midfielder Christian Karembeu, who won the tournament by beating Brazil in the 1998 final, has told reporters that he thinks his country can go all the way this summer.
Karembeu said of France’s chances: “We have a great team with many talented players. Obviously we will be one of the main challengers in this World Cup, even though it was difficult for us to qualify.”
“France can repeat 1998 or 2006, because in 2006 we were in the final in Germany. We can go very far.”
Despite having to qualify for the tournament via a play-off with Ukraine, France remain littered with talent, from Franck Ribery to Karim Benzema, and have a relatively sanguine Group E to get past, featuring Switzerland, Honduras and Ecuador.
Manager Didier Deschamps has also chosen to select several youngsters, including Eliaquim Mangala and Paul Pogba for next month’s event.
