France coach Deschamps two wins from joining Zagallo, ‘Kaiser’
DELHI: France’s 2-0 win against Uruguay in Friday’s quarter-finalbroughtDidierDeschamps within two matches of being only the third person after Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer to win the World Cup as player and coach.
Deschamps, a gritty midfielder in his time, had led a supremely talented French team to a 3-0 thumping of Brazil in the final of the 1998 World Cup at the Stade de France in Paris. Already accorded Legion d’honneur — France’s highest civilian award — in 1998, Deschamps could establish himself as the finest football mind in his country, ahead of Michel Platini and perhaps even Zinedine Zidane who guided Real Madrid to a record 13th Champions League title this season, if he guides France to the title.
Ahead of Deschamps are two legends of the game. Zagallo was an integral part of the Brazil team that won the 1958 and 1962 editions before returning as coach in 1970 to witness Pele mastermind a 4-1 whipping over Italy to go home with the Jules Rimet Trophy. Zagallo, considered a lucky charm for Brazil in the World Cup, was still not done as he returned as assistant manager in 1994 to supervise a record fourth title win.
Beckenbauer helped West Germany shut out Netherlands’ total football to deny Johan Cruyff World Cup glory. He was West Germany coach when they won in 1990.
Under Deschamps, France have shown signs of peaking at the right time. The first roadblock in Deschamps’s road to glory are Belgium who are powered by the insights of former World Cup winning teammate Thierry Henry who is their assistant manager.