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Zinedine Zidane has experienced the high of winning the World Cup and the low of a group play exit patrolling the midfield for France.

''Zizou'' begins the final chapter of his storied international career for France as ''Les Bleus'' open Group G play Tuesday against Switzerland in Stuttgart, Germany.

The son of Algerian immigrants, Zidane has taken on one-name status alongside Platini and Fontaine in French soccer lore. His two goals in France's 3-0 rout of Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final sent the host nation into an unprecedented celebration for sport in France.

He then led ''Les Bleus'' to the 2000 European Championship, marking the first time a country held World Cup and European titles simultaneously.

But the defense of the World Cup title in 2002 in South Korea and Japan took a disastrous turn before its start. Already fatigued from a long domestic season with Real Madrid, Zidane suffered a thigh injury in a late run-up match and was slow to recover.

He helplessly watched ''Les Blues'' lose to Senegal and tie Uruguay. Despite being far from match-fit, Zidane gamely played the final match, only to lose 2-0 to Denmark and be sent home winless and, more embarrassingly for France, without a goal.

Zidane announced his retirement from national team duties before qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, but coach Raymond Domenech made a desperate appeal last summer as ''Les Blues'' struggled offensively and were in danger of failing to qualify from a highly competitive group that included the Swiss, Ireland and Israel.

But Zidane - along with fellow unretired standouts Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele - helped France take 10 of a possible 12 points in the final four matches to secure a spot in the field of 32.

''I tell myself that this team can do something enormous,'' Zidane said last month after making his 100th appearance in a friendly. ''My desire is stronger than ever ... 100 times, 1,000 times stronger.

''I realize how lucky I am to be playing in the World Cup.''

But ''Zizou'' has been uneven on the pitch at times despite having perhaps Europe's best striker in Arsenal's Thierry Henry and gifted midfielder Patrick Vieira , who Domenech defended after the French media gave a scathing review of his play in France's 3-1 win over China.

''I know what he can do. To doubt him is strange,'' Domenech said Saturday. ''He will be one of the top players at the World Cup. I know his temperament, his desire, his qualities. In training, he is the one who gets everyone going.''

''Les Bleus'' also took a crippling blow last week when forward Djibril Cisse suffered a broken right leg in a friendly that sidelined him for the World Cup. Domenech bypassed mercurial striker Nicolas Anelka and Ludovic Giuly as possible replacements for Sidney Govou , causing more friction with the media.

''Govou is a player with a multiple profile. He offers us several solutions,'' Domenech said looking skyward and thumping his fists on the table. ''We didn't have much time to decide.''

Henry, who has 33 goals in 78 matches for ''Les Blues'', will be paired with either David Trezeuget or Sylvain Wiltord . Fabian Barthez, who backstopped France to the 1998 title, returns as goalkeeper.

After finishing second to France in group qualifying, Switzerland secured its first World Cup appearance since 1994 by edging past 2002 semifinalist Turkey in a tense two-legged playoff on away goals after tying 4-4 in aggregate.

The Swiss feature a relatively young roster with defender Philippe Senderos and forward Tranquillo Barnetta , both only 21 years old and winners of the 2002 Under-17 European Championship. The duo has provided Switzerland a swagger that has the team entering this match confident in its chances for a victory.

''The squad knows what it's capable of,'' Swiss coach Koebi Kuhn said. ''It is up to us to make the impossible possible.''

Senderos, along with Henry, helped Arsenal to the UEFA Champions League final, and Barnetta has formed a partnership with Alexander Frei, who has 25 goals in 45 international appearances.

''The idea of the little Switzerland, that's over,'' said Frei, who thinks a win over France will put the tiny Scandinavian nation on the soccer map ahead before co-hosting the 2008 European Championship with Austria.

The teams played to a 1-1 draw October 8 in Switzerland as Cisse and Ludovic Magnin traded second-half goals. They also played to a 0-0 tie in March 2005 before Zidane came out of retirement.

France continues group play June 18 against South Korea at Leipzig, Germany, and Switzerland will play Togo the following day at Dortmund.