12-Thierry Henry
Position: Forward
Club:Monaco (France)
Age: 20
Caps: 3 (as of 4 Jun 1998)
Fast, tricky young winger who has attracted the
attention of many of Europe's leading clubs.
Managed to recapture form -- and a place in
French squad -- in European Cup semifinals and
last league games of season after a spell in the doldrums.
10-Zinedine Zidane
Position: Midfielder
Club: Juventus (Italy)
Age: 25 (26 on June 23)
Caps: 33 (as of 4 Jun 1998)
In Zinedine Zidane World Cup hosts France hope they have found a figure capable of inspiring them to the same heights as the great Michel Platini did in the 1980s.
The two players have a lot in common.
Both cult heroes at Juventus, both technically gifted, both soft-spoken, they belong to a rare breed of player who can change the outcome of a match with one flash of genius.
Zidane's importance to his country was shown when, without him, they looked bereft of attacking ideas in a dismal 1-0 defeat by Russia in Moscow in March.
Ironically, France first began to rely on Zidane during Euro 96 when he was in the worst shape of his career.
Exhausted by a long season with Girondins Bordeaux, he was far from his usual self as France lost in the semifinals to the Czech Republic.
The two years which followed showed Jacquet had probably made the right choice by sticking with the 25-year-old from Marseille.
Zidane made his debut for France in August 1994 against the Czechs, and was especially impressive. He played for only 17 minutes, but scored twice.
He started his professional career with Cannes before moving to Bordeaux when Cannes were relegated to the second division in 1992.
Shortly before Euro 96 he moved to Juventus, and like Platini before him, Zidane struggled a little in his first months with the big Italian club before settling down to become a key element at arguably the best club side in the world.
Since then, the soccer world has acknowledged the extraordinary talent of the Frenchman -- he finished third in the 1997 European player of the year awards.
"Zidane does everything you should expect from a soccer star of the 21st century. He helps the team first and himself next," said Dynamo Kiev's coach Igor Lobanovsky after his team were crushed by Juventus 4-1 in the European Cup in March.
Zidane has been hampered by a lingering ankle injury since the beginning of 1998 and his health might well be Jacquet's main concern as the World Cup finals come nearer.
"It's true that Zidane, with his technique, is so marvellous. But one can't say that it all revolves around him," Jacquet said after France's defeat in Russia.
"If he's not there, we've got to find ways of playing without him," he added. As his tone implied, that will be a very difficult task.
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