On the World Cup stage, five-star Brazil has always had a bitter master, that is, the European powerhouse France. In the four matches in which the two met at the World Cup, Brazil won 1 and lost 3. However, since Brazil's 5-2 victory over France in 1958, Brazil has lost in the next three matches, which were the 1/4 final of the 1986 World Cup, Brazil lost to France on penalties, brazil lost 3-0 to France in the 1998 World Cup final, and brazil lost 0-1 to France in the 2006 World Cup 1/4 final. In fact, the relationship between Brazil and France is not only concentrated in the national team, but also the stars in their respective squads are often compared. Among them, the most typical is the legendary midfielders Platini and Zico of the two teams in the 1980s! The topic of which of their strength and weakness has also been discussed.
01. Platini
Born in 1955, Platini played as a player for Ligue 1 for Nancy, Saint-Etienne and Serie A giants Juventus. He was elected European Footballer of the Year 3 times during his career and was named The World's Best Player in 1984 and 1985. At the same time, in 1984 he led france to the European Championship. In 1987, at the age of 31, Platini announced his retirement.
During his time at Juventus, Platini won two Serie A titles (1984 and 1986), one European Cup Winners' Cup, one European Cup winner and one European Super Cup, one Toyota Cup, among others.
Platini scored 41 goals in 72 appearances for France. Platini is an extremely well organized player, in addition, his shooting awareness, efficiency, free kicks, etc. are very good. As a midfielder, he won the Serie A Top Scorer for three consecutive years from 1983 to 1985! At the same time, he is also very capable of leadership, has a great influence on his teammates around him, and is a natural king!
02. Zico
Zico was born in 1953, 2 years older than Platini. He has played for Flamengo in Brazil, Udinese in Italy, Kashima Antlers in Japan and other teams. He represented the Brazilian national team in three World Cups during his career, the 1978 Fifacé in Argentina, the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, and the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Among them, the Brazilian team composed of him and Socrates, Falcao and others is considered by many to be the best team of the 80s!
Unfortunately, Zico failed to lead Brazil to a World Cup. Zico scored 52 goals in 72 appearances for Brazil. With his outstanding performances in midfield, he was elected South American Footballer of the Year three times and was named the second World Player of the Year in 1983. In 1989, Zico held a farewell match in Udinese and officially announced his retirement. It then made a comeback for some time and was eventually retired in 1994.
Zico is a midfielder with a good attack and defense. Although he is not tall, he is outstanding in technology, free-flowing style, strong ability to break through with the ball, and the overall situation on the court is very good, and the rhythm of the game is excellent. Fans also see him as a hope to lead Brazil out of the doldrums. But unfortunately Zico lacked a little luck in the World Cup. It failed to lead the very optimistic Brazil team to win the championship.
In fact, the two had a direct confrontation in the World Cup, in the 1986 World Cup, Brazil and France met in the quarterfinals, that World Cup Zico with an injury, at the end of the game, Brazil won a penalty, Zico was in danger, if the penalty is scored, the team will successfully advance to the top 4. Unfortunately, Zico eventually lost the penalty. The match ended in a penalty shootout, and although Platini also conceded a penalty, Brazil was eliminated by losing to France in the penalty shootout. And this penalty also became a huge regret in Zico's heart.
Which of the two midfield masters do you think is stronger in the past? Welcome to leave a message to discuss.