Former France midfielder Claude Makelele chose one Premier League legend when naming the England player he’d have liked to have seen play in France’s 2006 World Cup squad.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was a case of what if for the French. A talented side consisted of icons such as former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, and ex-Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery.
Makelele also formed part of a midfield diamond alongside Zidane and Vieira, in an iconic final against Italy in Berlin.
In what was his final game as a professional, Zidane scored a first-half penalty before Marco Materazzi levelled things on 19 minutes.
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And despite their goals, it was an incident that happened in extra time of the final that is arguably the most memorable moment of that encounter.
On 110 minutes, Zidane landed a head butt to Materazzi’s chest after an exchange of words, which resulted in a red card for ‘Zizou’.
Italy went on to win a penalty shootout.
Years later, in 2023, the Italian defender opened up about what was said in an interview with IFTV.
Materazzi explained. "He offered me his jersey. I said ‘No, I prefer your sister'."
France have since taken part in two World Cup finals, winning the 2018 tournament in Russia before losing on penalties to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Qatar in 2022.
So, what stopped France from winning the 2006 tournament, and does Makelele think any England stars would’ve made a difference?
Of course, England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ also suffered penalty shootout heartbreak against Portugal in the quarter-finals back in 2006, despite boasting a talented squad including Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and David Beckham, just to name a few.
Makelele was a teammate of Lampard at Chelsea from 2003 to 2008 and Beckham at Real Madrid in 2003.
However, he chose Scholes when asked to pick one player he’d have liked to have seen play for France in 2006.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, on behalf of Oddspedia, Makelele said: “He [Paul Scholes] would enjoy playing with us.”
When asked to settle the Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes debate, the Frenchman explained: “Three of them is difficult, but Scholes. We were fighting a lot.
"I love this boy because he was a genius footballer, small like me, fighting, dribbling.
"They were different players, though.
“Gerrard was like me, Frank is like more offensive, Scholes is like the organiser and the finisher.
“We had some good battles, including when I was at Madrid in the Champions League. When I came to Chelsea, we fought. I fought against him, but I have a lot of respect."
Makelele will, no doubt, be keeping a close eye on the upcoming international fixtures as France take on Ukraine and Iceland while England face Andorra and Serbia in World Cup qualifiers.
Topics: Spotlight, France, England, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Football, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard
Luke Davies