“When we won, my priority was to…

By Guillaume K. | Sports journalist

During the 1998 World Cup and then Euro 2000, Robert Pirès was only a substitute in the squad of the France team. Did this have an influence on his pleasure in victory? He was honest about it…

If the question does not always make sense for the players, it generally fascinates the supporters: can you consider yourself a world champion or European champion without spending a single second on the field during the tournament? Because for some, playing is an essential condition for winning a title.

Adil Rami, who was in this situation in 2018 for the French team, regularly explains that the coronation in Russia is also his, since even without being used by Didier Deschamps, he had found an important role in the team. training and in the cohesion of the locker room. Without his infectious good humor, nothing says that the Blues would have been crowned…

Substitute, Robert Pirès honest on the titles of 98 and 2000

But conversely, in 2010, before making the decisive pass to Andres Iniesta on the title goal for Spain, Cesc Fàbregas said he did not feel completely part of the group because he was not playing… What does Robert think? Pirès, also a substitute in 1998 and then in 2000. He responded on the show of his former teammate Johan Djourou.

Never in my life have I felt frustrated when I was on the bench in 98 or at Euro 2000. From the moment you are in the French team, it is because you are called for your qualities . Afterwards the coach makes choices. He builds his team and the rest goes to the bench. In 98 and 2000 there was a hierarchy in the team. The speech of Aimé Jacquet then of Roger Lemerre was always clear: I was a substitute.

It's not that it made me happy, not at all. I wanted to play, that's normal. But when you have the chance to play off the bench, you have to take it. Even 5 minutes, there is no problem. If I had played 0 minutes at the World Cup, I would still have considered myself a champion. 100%! I didn't play much, but the goal was to be in the photos with the cup.

I swear to you that my priority when we won was to be in as many photos as possible with the trophy, and in the end I'm in a lot. I was super proud and super happy. In 2000 it's the same thing, there's the cup and I'm next to it. In the national team it's different from the club. When you come home you have to make a difference, that’s what you’re there for. You enjoy your titles the same way.

For Robert Pirès the question does not even arise: he would have considered himself world champion and European champion without playing a single minute. The main thing was to immortalize the moment by posing with the cup.