The forgotten World Cup XI sequence profiles one legendary star who has been sadly ignored (for causes of expertise or in any other case) of soccer's favorite match in every place.
Right again: Willy Sagnol
Who is he?
When one thinks of the World Cup runners up France squad of 2006, the title 'Willy Sagnol' would not are usually the primary title that springs to thoughts. Zinedine Zidane. Thierry Henry. Patrick Vieira. Lillian Thuram, maybe. But not Willy. Never Willy.
Yet he was there. His title was within the squad listing. He even performed all 120 minutes of the 2006 closing towards Italy and took the fourth penalty for Les Bleus_._
(Above: Where's Willy?)
He spent the great a part of his profession working up and down the precise aspect of the pitch at Bayern Munich and typically even got here on and performed. His Wikipedia web page declares that he was a 'standout performer' within the 2006 World Cup closing, however that is tough to examine because it's virtually not possible to observe highlights of the match with out merely skipping to the half the place Zizou jammed his head into Marco Materazzi's chest.
Who was he with on the World Cup?
As already famous, Big Willy was at each the 2002 and 2006 World Cup with the French nationwide crew. In 2002, France completed backside of their group however reached the ultimate 4 years later, the place they bowed out within the closing in a penalty shootout towards the Italians.
The proper again clearly noticed himself exempt of accountability for the defeat - regardless of lacking an absolute sitter within the second half, heaping the blame first on Zidane, then on Sylvain Wiltord and eventually on just about any well-known Frenchman he may consider, from David Guetta to King Louis XIV.
(Above: Big Willy Style famously not headbutting an Italian within the 2006 World Cup closing
What was his spotlight?
Although on the pitch he actually did get pleasure from a comparatively good World Cup in 2006, if the query was posed to the Willy Wonka, he'd almost definitely level you within the course of a little web site referred to as Ranker.com. Why? Well, out of 21,000 votes, the precise again comes in at a cool 42nd place of the 'Best French Soccer Players & Footballers of All Time', sandwiched between somebody referred to as Christophe Dugarry and a man with the title Alan Giresse. However, upon nearer inspection, the web site tells us that there have been simply 2.4k voters, suggesting that somebody could have voted for themselves greater than as soon as.
Where on Earth is he now?
After slagging off all his former teammates and nationwide heroes, 'Willy Won't He' determined it was in all probability greatest to remain in Germany for a bit longer after retiring and have become a coach at Bayern. The newest information is that he is favorite to grow to be the following Swansea supervisor, which is a secure 300 miles from the French mainland.
What did he say?
"If Sylvain Wiltord hadn't kicked the ball out for a throw we might've received the World Cup."