From Platini to Pogba: How French expats flooded Europe

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  • Michel Platini was France's outstanding export when he moved to Juventus.

    In an era of communitarianism in European football, the findings from the new CIES Football Observatory study on expatriates in the top five European leagues are somewhat surprising, with France ranked above Argentina and Brazil in providing the most players to the continent’s best leagues.

    Only two players from a club outside German borders started the World Cup final this summer for Germany while, conversely, no domestic player could be found in Argentina’s starting line-up and just one (substitute goalkeeper Agustin Orion) was on the bench.

    This trend has long been the norm for European football, where the best domestic talent in Germany, England, Spain or Italy would often remain on home soil and be complemented by reinforcements from South America. Every player in the Spain team that started the 2010 World Cup final played for a Spanish club, every Italian player starting the 2006 World Cup final also hailed from a domestic side. The communitarianism of top European nations appears a given.

    This trend has long been followed by England. Although failing to correlate with success in international tournaments, the Three Lions had no player from outside the UK in their 2014 World Cup squad, as had been the case in 2010.

    Despite this trend, and for the first time ever, a European country ranked first in the CIES ranking of expatriate providers in the five biggest European leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1).

    Overtaking Brazil and Argentina was France, a country whose recent underachievements on the international scene brushed off the headline-grabbing ‘Black, Blanc, Beur’ (‘Black, White, Arab’) diversity that characterised Les Bleus’ success at the turn of the century.

    France managed the feat of ranking above its illustrious South American counterparts for the first time, with 113 players outside its borders playing in the continent’s best leagues. Argentina and Brazil complete the podium with 112 expatriates apiece.

    From Karim Benzema or Raphael Varane at Real Madrid to Paul Pogba at Juventus, Franck Ribéry at Bayern and the colony of French players at Arsenal and Newcastle, French expats seemingly appear able to fit in anywhere.

    Compare that to England, who did not even make the rankings with only two expatriates (Ashley Cole at Roma and Micah Richards at Fiorentina).

    “The lack of opportunities for homegrown talent at PSG is such that Kingsley Coman left for Juventus.”

    On the one hand it is positive to see French academies once more gaining recognition. The youth teams of FC Nantes, FC Metz, Olympique de Marseille or Lille OSC are always brimful with talent thanks to high-class youth coaches and top-class facilities. The country’s elite academy INF Clairefontaine keeps identifying and improving the country’s finest young talents every year.

    On the other hand, the logical conclusion from this study is that France witnesses a player exodus due to being financially unable to keep its talent. The recent emergence of PSG offered a glimmer of hope, as a virtuous circle of Nasser al-Khelaifi buying local talent to improve finances of lesser sides and enabling them to keep other young players might have changed things.

    However Blaise Matuidi was the only Frenchman in PSG’s starting line-up against Barcelona in the Champions League last month and the lack of opportunities for homegrown talent is such that Kinglsey Coman departed for Juventus, Hervin Ongenda left for Bastia on loan and Adrien Rabiot recently requested a transfer. 

    Without a clear strategy to retain its best talent, Ligue 1 will keep tumbling in UEFA rankings and the French national team will struggle to deal with players coming from increasingly contrasting environments, sometimes unable to understand each other.

    FRANCE’S ICONIC EXPORTS

    The recent CIES study underlines a trend with deep-rooted origins. For decades, going all the way back to Raymond Kopa at Real Madrid in the 1950s, the country has exported players who would go on to become household names in their respective sides.

    MICHEL PLATINI (Juventus)

    Coming out of the biggest disappointment of his career, the 1982 World Cup semi-final defeat to West Germany, Michel Platini joins Juventus in August of that year. His first months are hampered by a groin strain and being played out of position. He is close to leaving the club in January 1983 but club owner Giovanni Agnelli, who is said to « have shivers when watching him », decides to keep him and asks head coach Trapattoni to adapt his tactics.

    Platini goes on to become his side’s best player as Juventus win the Italian league in 1984 and 1986 and the Champions League in 1985 (in a final against Liverpool overshadowed by the Heysel tragedy). He collects three Ballon d’Or awards in 1983, 1984 and 1985 and would later say « I joined Nancy because it is the club of my city, Saint-Etienne because it is the best club in France and Juventus because it is the best club in the world. »

    ERIC CANTONA (Manchester United)

    No French player became more of an icon abroad than Eric Cantona at Manchester United. Groomed by Guy Roux at Auxerre, he failed to make a mark at Marseille and later Nîmes, he left the country in 1991 to join Sheffield Wednesday on trial. Tired at waiting for a formal contract, he was snapped up by Leeds United in February 1992, establishing himself both on and off the pitch (telling fans “I love you, I don’t know why but I love you” upon celebrating the 1992 Premier League title).

    A controversial move to Leeds’ rivals Manchester United saw Cantona become an instant success, as he clinched the title with his new side (becoming the first player to do so consecutively with two different clubs). He earned the PFA Player of the Year award in 1994 and became King Eric of Old Trafford. In January 1995, he sent a ‘kung-fu’ style kick to a fan who told him to go back to France after a sending-off against Crystal Palace and was banned for eight months, but he returned with some inspirational performances to lead the side a third Premier League title in four years. In May 1996 he became the first Manchester United captain from outside the British Isles to lift the FA Cup and retired the following year, aged 30.

    ZINEDINE ZIDANE (Real Madrid)

    Brought to Real Madrid from Juventus for a record-breaking €75 million in 2001, Zinédine Zidane managed the feat of standing out among a welter of superstars signed by Florentino Perez in the Galactico era.

    At the end of his first season he scored one of the greatest goals in Champions League history against Bayer Leverkusen, a thundering volley with his weaker left foot to bring his side victory in a 2-1 win at Hampden Park. The next season he helped his side to a league title and was named FIFA World Player of the Year for the third time. In his final game, a 3-3 draw to Villareal, the 80,000-strong crowd at Santiago Bernabeau held up a banner reading “Thanks for the magic.

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