Twenty-eight years after France’s historic triumph at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Emmanuel Petit still carries a special thought for those who never got the chance to experience the adventure until the very end.
The former French midfielder has never forgotten the six players left out of the final squad by Aimé Jacquet just before the tournament began: Lionel Letizi, Martin Djetou, Pierre Laigle, Sabri Lamouchi, Ibrahim Ba, and Nicolas Anelka. In an interview with L’Équipe, Petit admitted that his biggest regret from that unforgettable summer concerns those players who came so close to glory.
The Forgotten Victims of France 98
“I always think about them,” Petit confessed. The World Cup winner said he often imagines what those players must have felt on the night France lifted the trophy. “It’s something that changes your life forever,” he explained, aware that only a few days separated those six internationals from one of the greatest achievements in French football history.
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At the time, France’s preparation involved an extended preliminary squad before a final round of cuts was made just days before the competition. Looking back, Petit believes the system was particularly harsh. “Every time a name was announced, we would tell ourselves, ‘Okay, it’s not me.’ But for those who were eventually excluded, the reality was devastating. Leaving alone in a taxi one evening, realizing you would not play in a World Cup hosted by France… it was incredibly cruel.”
Petit added that the experience was so painful that it ultimately influenced future selection methods. He noted that Roger Lemerre later changed his approach by gradually adding players rather than removing them at the last minute. Nearly three decades later, this forgotten chapter of France 98 still moves one of the heroes of that legendary triumph.
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