Disasi and Fofana become the 13th and 14th Monégasques to make the World Cup semifinals with France!
It’s a success in line with their glorious predecessors! By beating England on Saturday (2-1) with the French national team Axel Disasi and Youssouf Fofana have become the 13th and 14th players from the Principality club to reach the semifinals of a World Cup with France. It was a real feat and at the same time part of a tradition that has continued, as AS Monaco have already provided great plenty of players for Les Bleus for almost 70 years.
An impressive goal from Tchouam’
Thanks in particular to Aurélien Tchouameni’s superb opener with a shot from thirty meters – similar to his double scored against Lille at the end of last season with the Rouge et Blanc (a 2-1 win) – Didier Deschamps’ players have offered themselves the right to face Morocco this Wednesday (kick-off 8 p.m.). It will be a big event, since the latter became the first African country to reach the last four of a World Cup, defeating Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo 1-0.
A first semifinal in 1958
Both remained on the bench during this crunch match between France and the English, after having taken part in the first four matches of Les Bleus (one tenure, three appearances), but Axel and Youssouf have nevertheless made history . They are thus following in the footsteps of the twelve other Monegasques who participated before them in a semifinal of the World Cup with France, while being under contract with AS Monaco. The first was in 1958, as the two Raymonds, Kaelbel and Bellot, took part in a historic semifinal against Pelé’s Brazil, losing 5- .
A big three with the “Carré Magique”
On the other hand, it would be necessary to wait more than twenty years to see the French team once again reach this milestone of the last four. In 1982, Les Bleus relied heavily on the Rouge et Blanc Academy, with no less than three internationals who had trained at the foot of the Rock: Jean-Luc Ettori, Manuel Amoros and Bruno Bellone. These three were true legends of the Club, and would unfortunately experience the a heavy loss in Sevilla against West Germany (3-3, elimination on penalties).
The golden generation of 1998
They were at it again four years later, with another loss against the Germans at the same stage of the competition (2-0), despite a big win in the quarterfinals against Brazil. This time, Alain Couriol was also involved. It would then be necessary to wait twelve more years, to see Les Bleus triumph for the first time, what is more at home. Fabien Barthez, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet, would then pass this symbolic hurdle of the last four, finishing as World Champions by bringing down Ronaldo’s Brazil (3-0).
Two new champions?
Since then, only Gaël Givet in 2006 (beaten in the final against Italy), then Thomas Lemar and Djibril Sidibé, crowned world champions in 2018, would do the same. To date, there have been 14 Monegasque semifinalists, and five Rouge et Blanc World Champions (Barthez, Henry, Trezeguet, Lemar, Sidibé), as many as there have been players trained at the Club (Thuram, Petit, Henry , Trezeguet, Mbappe). It’s been a beautiful story between AS Monaco and the World Cup which lasts… until December 18, we hope! 🤞
Celle-ci, elle est pour vous 💙
On continue 𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑴𝑩𝑳𝑬 👊#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/sxHrg1cvUq— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) December 10, 2022
The 14 Monégasques to have reached the World Cup semifinals with Les Bleus:
Raymond Bellot (1958)
Raymond Kaelbel (1958)
Jean-Luc Ettori (1982)
Manuel Amoros (1982 & 1986)
Bruno Bellone (1982 & 1986)
Alain Couriol (1986)
Fabien Barthez (1998)
Thierry Henry (1998)
David Trezeguet (1998)
Gaël Givet (2006)
Thomas Lemar (2018)
Djibril Sidibé (2018)
Axel Disasi (2022)
Youssouf Fofana (2022)
Photos: Icon Sport
