Zinedine Zidane
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Obviously, Zinedine Zidane is the current Real Madrid manager and is doing a stellar job in his role having guided Los Blancos to the Champions League title earlier this year. So, his involvement in the game is showing no sign of waning whatsoever. His rise from the son of two Algerians to become a national French icon and a world class player needs no retelling here, but it’s safe to say that he will always have a special place in the hearts of the fans who saw him bring silverware and happy memories to them, none less than his two final goals against Brazil nearly 20 years ago in le Stade de France.
Robert Pires
Unlike many of the other players on this list, Robert Pires is only a recently retired footballer as he left the professional game at the ripe old age of 42 early in 2016, so he's in a different category in that regard. A terrific player in his prime, he was one of Arsenal’s most inventive players where he won three FA Cups and two league titles. Recently, he has been active, working alongside UEFA to promote their Daily 7 fantasy football game and it’s probably only a matter of time before he delves into the world of punditry further still – we can't wait.
Patrick Vieira
A man who needs little introduction, Patrick Vieira was one of the best midfield generals in the Premier League during the 1990s and early noughties, and his battles and scrapes with Manchester United rival Roy Keane are well remembered as being one of the main highlights of the league. A terrific passer of the ball who also knew how to command the respect of his peers, he stood tall on the pitch as a leader and champion. Since quitting football, he has dived into management and his now the head coach of New York City FC in Major League Soccer.
Bernard Diomede (World Cup 1998 only)
Let's not kid ourselves. Bernard Diomede isn’t going to be remembered as the greatest French player of all time – far from it, in fact. Indeed, even his most famous contribution to world football wasn’t particularly as heroic as it might first appear either because he did not make an appearance from the quarter finals onward when his country stormed to the ‘98 world championship.
With Auxerre, he scored a respectable 30 goals in 175 league games but never really got going at Liverpool and his career fizzled out. Since retiring, he is now in charge of his own youth academy which proffers the notion that football is ‘not an ultimate aim, but an educational means to prepare the youth for their adult life’.
