All the winners of the FIFA Confederations Cup

#2 France – 2001 & 2003

French and Cameroon players with a picture of Marc-Vivien Foe after the 2003 final

The glorious French team that won the FIFA World Cup in 1998 would confirm its position as one of the all-time greats by winning Euro 2000 and the 2001 Confederations Cup. Despite resting both Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, France crushed South Korea 5-0 and Mexico 4-0 in the group stages, despite suffering a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Australia.

But goals from top scorer Robert Pires and Marsell Desailley would see off Brazil in the semi-finals before facing a surprisingly adept Japan in the title clash. Patrick Viera’s goal would eventually beat the Japanese as Les Blues celebrated the only piece of silverware missing from their collection.

Two years later, France would host the Confederations Cup under very different circumstances. Reeling from an embarrassing first-round exit at the 2002 World Cup, the French side’s confidence was low.

The edition was also tarnished by the refusal of Germany, Italy and Spain to represent Europe in the competition – the continent would eventually be represented by World Cup bronze medallists Turkey.

France would eventually win all its group matches and reach the final against an inspired Cameroon side. The Africans had eliminated Brazil in the group stages and beat Colombia in the semi-finals, though the last victory came at a price.

Midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed on the field during the semi-final due to heart failure and died at a nearby medical centre shortly afterwards.

Despite both France and Cameroon players urging FIFA to abandon the final, the title match went on, with Thierry Henry scoring a golden goal to win it for France. French Captain Desailly would hold the Cup in unison with Cameroon skipper Rigobert Song out of respect for Foe, who would be awarded the Bronze Ball posthumously.