Laurent Blanc - International Career

International Career

Laurent Blanc won the 1988 European Under-21 Championship, beating Greece in the final. On 7 February 1989, he made his debut for the national team against Ireland. France, then in reconstruction after the retirement of numerous key players, did not manage to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. Shortly after that, they started an impressive 19-game unbeaten streak, including eight wins out of eight in Euro 1992 qualifying, making them one of the favorites to win the competition. They would, however, get knocked out in the pool stage by eventual winners Denmark

After France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, Laurent Blanc was heavily criticised, as well the rest of the team, and he subsequently decided to retire from international football. Aimé Jacquet, after taking over the managerial position of the national team, made it one of his priorities to convince Blanc to change his mind. France then entered the 1998 World Cup, which was held on home soil. Blanc was exemplary during the competition and, on 28 June 1998, scored against Paraguay in the Round of 16, the first-ever golden goal in World Cup history. He missed the final after being sent off in the semi-final against Croatia for elbowing Slaven Bilic, although replays showed that Bilic had clearly feigned the injury, earning the Croat heavy criticism afterwards. The sending off was the first (and only) red card of Blanc's professional career.

Blanc was also part of the team that won Euro 2000 during which, despite having been criticised for his age and lack of speed during the qualifications, he proved reliable in defence and even scored a goal against Denmark in the group stage. He announced his retirement from international football after the competition, following the example of his captain Didier Deschamps. Blanc was also well known for kissing good friend and goalkeeper Fabien Barthez's head before the start of every match, supposedly for good luck (the two did repeat this ritual when they played together for Manchester United, but only for UEFA Champions League matches). Overall, he recorded 97 caps and scored 16 goals. In 2006, the readers of France Football magazine voted him the fourth best French player of all time behind Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, and Raymond Kopa.