The defence was celebrated as the the most solid in the competition, although almost everyone ran into some problems along ...

The evening of 12 July 1998 was a unique and unforgettable one for French football. Flags waved and a nation celebrated as one as Les Bleus became world champions for the first time in their history.

In 1997, Brazil-born forward Wagner Lopes became a Japanese citizen, having spent the previous 10 years lighting up domestic football in the east Asian country. He quickly became an important part of ...