13 players you probably forgot played for France

Playing for France will always be an honour for the country’s footballers, and the potential prestige gained by appearing for the nation has only been boosted since the 2018 World Cup.

The world champions have possessed a plethora of hugely talented stars over the years. But they’ve also had their fair share of disappointments, players who have earned a chance to play for Les Bleus only to fade into obscurity.

Indeed, it’s difficult to remember the 13 names below appearing for France.

It’s worth noting, however, that some of them have been victims of circumstance rather than genuine flops.

1. William Prunier

Appearances for France: 1

In England, centre-back Prunier is mostly remembered for a disastrously short-lived spell with Manchester United, during which he was part of a defence that shipped four goals in an embarrassing defeat to Tottenham in January 1996.

Prior to that, Prunier was a highly rated defender in France who made over 200 appearances for Auxerre before stints with Marseille and Bordeaux, from whom he joined United.  And it was during his time with Auxerre that he was called up to the France squad, making one appearance in 1992, a 2-0 defeat to Brazil.

2. Younes Kaboul

Appearances for France: 5

Kaboul earned his first France call-up in 2011 during his second spell with Tottenham. The centre-back was arguably Spurs’ best defender in 2011/12, and only missed out on a place in France’s Euro 2012 squad due to a knee injury.

Unfortunately his knee continued to trouble him, and the five appearances he made – and one goal he scored – for France in 2011 haven’t been added to while Kaboul has been on his travels, leaving Tottenham for Sunderland and eventually joining Watford, where he remains.

3. Pascal Chimbonda

Appearances for France: 1

Another Spurs defender on the list, Chimbonda actually featured for France before he moved to north London. The right-back was still a Wigan Athletic player, just about, when he wore the Les Bleus shirt for the only time, coming on as a late substitute in a friendly against Brazil in May 2006.

Either side of that appearance, Chimbonda has played for Guadeloupe – his country of birth – in qualifiers for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Caribbean Cup.

4. Jean-Alain Boumsong

Appearances for France: 27

His struggles for Newcastle United would have you believe Boumsong was far from international quality, but the centre-back was actually something of a regular for France between 2003 and 2009, particularly during the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Making 27 appearances in total, Boumsong played more times for his country than Premier League winners such as Gael Clichy and Louis Saha.

5. Abou Diaby

Appearances for France: 16

Labelled the next Patrick Vieira upon his arrival at Arsenal, Diaby suffered with frequent injury problems and never really fulfilled his potential in England, despite making over 100 appearances for the Gunners.

Those injuries also prevented him from playing more than 16 times for his country for whom he last appeared in 2012, scoring in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Finland. Despite reports of retirement, Diaby is currently a free agent, last playing for Marseille in France.

6. Bruno Cheyrou

Appearances for France: 3

A name perhaps only Liverpool fans will remember, Cheyrou made a handful of games per season during a two-year spell at Anfield, scoring a total of five goals for the Reds after an impressive four years in France with Lille.

Mostly on the back of his form in Ligue 1, Cheyrou was given a shot in the national team in August 2002, debuting in a 1-1 draw with Tunisia. However, he only made two more appearances for France and never truly shone for Liverpool.

7. Aly Cissokho

Appearances for France: 1

Cissokho also played for Liverpool, albeit for just one season on loan from Valencia in 2013/14, his mixed form eventually earning him a permanent move to Aston Villa. But his solitary France appearance came much earlier, when he was just 21 and still playing for Lyon.

The left-back played 90 minutes in a friendly against Norway in August 2010. Now 30 and playing for Antalyaspor in Turkey, Cissoko hasn’t played for France since his debut and is unlikely to reignite his international career.

8. Julien Faubert

Appearances for France: 1

Faubert’s career has been a strange one to say the least. A difficult first season at West Ham United was followed by a loan spell with Real Madrid in 2009/10. He then returned to West Ham and has since played in Turkey, Scotland, Finland and Indonesia.

Perhaps all that travelling prevented him from making a real impact on the international stage. Faubert was a Bordeaux player when he made his only appearance for France in 2006. He now turns out for CONCACAF nation Martinique on account of his heritage.

9. Bafetimbi Gomis

Appearances for France: 12

There was much excited when Gomis – a player who had scored 20+ goals in all competitions for three years running at Lyon – arrived at Swansea in 2014, but he wasn’t fully able to replicate his Ligue 1 form in the Premier League.

Joining Swansea also marked the end of a once-promising international career for Gomis, who scored three goals in 12 appearances for France between 2008 and 2013. The striker now plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal after scoring for fun with Galatasaray in Turkey.

10. Charles N’Zogbia

Appearances for France: 2

A bit of a cult figure in the Premier League, partly down to a bizarre run-in with Joe Kinnear, N’Zogbia was a talented, if inconsistent, player who turned out for Newcastle United, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa.

During his best run of form for Wigan, N’Zogbia made two appearances for France, failing to impress enough in friendlies to earn a call-up for any competitive games.

11. Morgan Schneiderlin

Appearances for France: 15

Schneiderlin played his first game for France before his move to Manchester United from Southampton, when he was still highly-rated enough to be linked with one of England’s biggest clubs.

He continued to receive call-ups to the France squad after moving to Old Trafford, making 15 international appearances in total. But his form since has seen his stock fall, and the midfielder hasn’t played for France since 2015.

12. Kurt Zouma

Appearances for France: 2

Like Schneiderlin, Zouma is now an Everton player – albeit on loan – and hasn’t worn the France shirt since 2015. Although there is a feeling to Chelsea star could yet become a regular for his country if he continues to develop his game away from his parent club.

Zouma played twice for Les Bleus in 2015 but was only on the standby list of the 2018 World Cup-winning squad. Whether he will emerge as a contender for a centre-back spot ahead of Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane in the future remains to be seen.

13. Etienne Capoue

Appearances for France: 7

Capoue had earned seven caps for France before joining Tottenham from Toulouse in 2013. However, a turbulent spell in north London – where he played just 36 times over two seasons – all but ended his international career,

The 30-year-old has since reignited his career with Watford, but the sheer amount of talent Didier Deschamps possesses in central midfield is likely to prevent him from breaking back into the fold with France.

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