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Leboeuf steps into spotlight
Blanc's suspension means defender will start in final
Posted: Saturday July 11, 1998 10:45 AM
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Leboeuf will pair up in central defense with Desailly (AP) |
PARIS (Reuters) -- Franck Leboeuf does not often leave the France bench but
on Sunday he will do it to play in a World Cup final.
"It was written somewhere that I would play the final," said the French
libero, who will replace suspended Laurent Blanc against champions Brazil at the
Stade de France on Sunday.
Leboeuf has started only one match in the tournament, in the last group
game against Denmark, when
coach Aime Jacquet decided to rest several first-choice players including
Blanc.
"I knew what to expect," he said. "It was clear that Laurent and Marcel
[Desailly] would start the matches in central defense. I don't feel
inferior to them but I accepted it."
In Sunday's match, Leboeuf will pair up in central defense with Desailly,
who will join him at Chelsea next season from AC Milan. "We know that the
association of the two works well and I'm not at all worried," said
Jacquet. "I trust Franck and I know we can rely on him."
Used to being a substitute, Leboeuf would have had to sit and watch had
not Blanc received his marching orders for pushing Slaven Bilic in France's
2-1 semifinal defeat of Croatia.
"The red card was tough because Laurent's not a violent person," Leboeuf
said. "I didn't talk to him. Sometimes it's better to remain silent.
"I feel sorry for him but I'm delighted to play the final. That's life."
Two years with Chelsea have transformed the discreet Leboeuf from an
anonymous player in the French second and third divisions to a hero of the
famous west London club.
Triumphs in the F.A. and League Cup, then in the European Cup Winners'
Cup have gained him celebrity status on the other side of the Channel --
but not in his home country.
"If I walk down the Champs Elysees, 15 English people will stop me for an
autograph but Frenchmen very rarely do," he said.
The road to the top has been a rocky one for Leboeuf, who made his debut
with third division Toulon where he met another exile in David Ginola. But
the club president felt he did not work hard enough and sacked him.
"I was too much in love, that's why," Leboeuf said with a broad smile. "I
don't regret it. The girl became my wife."
He then worked as a commercial agent while looking for another club.
"It was tough because I had to get up at six in the morning," he said. "I
didn't do it because I wanted to start a new career. I still wanted to be a
professional football player but I needed money."
Second division Laval allowed him to resume doing what he does best and
in 1990 he joined Strasbourg, where his relations with coach Gilbert Gress
were tense, to say the least.
"He once called me an idiot and said I would never get anywhere," Leboeuf
said. "He also blocked my move to Dortmund but I don't care. I'm going to
play a World Cup final. Where is he now?"
When he recalls painful experiences from his past, Leboeuf sounds bitter
but he insists he is not looking for any kind of revenge. "I don't forget
what I've been through, that's all."
Now 30, he has earned only 15 caps while players of his generation like
Blanc or captain Didier Deschamps have over 70 but he does not mind.
"My career is not the average career of a professional footballer and I'm
proud of that," he said. "I have always remained humble and that has helped
me become what I am today."
Playing France's first ever World Cup final against such a formidable
side as Brazil does not impress him that much.
"They deserve to be in the final, they're a great team but we're better
than they are," he said.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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