World Cup Champion - France

• ​Champions: 2 (1998, 2018)
• Runner Ups: 2 (2006, 2022)
• GOAT: Zinedine Zidane
• Mt. Rushmore: 
  • Michel Platini
  • Kylian Mbappe
  • Thierry Henry

Top Five Major Highlights:

1. French futbol/ soccer was, in the world of the sport, a late bloomer. There was a time, basically decades where if your own national team was in a rut or in a bad streak, the saying was, "just put a friendly against France", to recover emotionally. In the 60s and 70s, they went through a period of stagnation. This was highlighted where in the 66' World Cup, they didn't get through the first rounds, and then they preceded to to not play in the following two iterations (the 1970 and 1974 competitions). Of which during this time, futbol/ soccer was in fact not the national sport (as Rugby and Tennis at the time were more popular).
2. The French National Team has enjoyed their greatest triumphs and teams, when not so coincidentally, the construction of the team mirrors the France demographic (inclusive of its rich immigrant population), or what has been known as the "Blending of the Races" - which is another way of saying embracing in the diversity. You have the French team of 1958 who reached the World Cup semi-final led by Raymond Kopa, who in fact was of Polish descendants (Polish miners, who's last name was in fact Kopaszewski). And then of course you have the 1998 and 2018 World Cup teams led by players like Zidane, Thuram, Henry, and Mbappe (all from immigrant descent).  
3. The French futbol/ soccer renaissance and it's rise from their period of stagnation truly begins to recover the enthusiam because of the great Michel Platini, and his success with not only France but Sant-Etienne. It is Platini and the Sant-Etienne success in club football, that began bringing back the united euphoria of the country (and fans outside as well) back to French football. And in the World Cup stage, albeit he never was able to lift the trophy, he helped lead a way of beautiful and iconic football, highlighted mostly in the 1978 and 1982 world cups (where in 2982, they made it into the semifinals).
4. For most of their futbol origins, France futbol/ soccer was more important for their world directors than their players. For instance, the FIFA was managed and founded by French men, and it was two French men (Henry Delanuay and Jules Rimet) who created the World Cup. Fortunately, this is no longer the case, as France powers a proverbial favorite in many of the competitions it currently plays.
5. Other major championships: They have won 2 European Championships with 1 runner up finish.