Where are they now? The French European Championship winners of 2000

With the European Championships just days away, it’s time to throw it back to the year 2000. This was a different time and era, which saw the French crowned Champions. This game was particularly exciting. After going down 1-0 to the Italians in the second half, substitute Sylvain Wiltord got a late goal to move into Golden Goal extra time. Here, substitutes Robert Pires combined with David Trezeguet to win the game. Why is this article based on France you may ask? The reason is that they are the current bookie’s favorites. Like the year 2000, the current team is packed full of talent too. Read on to see what the winning side from the 2000 European Championship are doing now… Fabien Barthez (GK) One of the most flamboyant goalkeepers ever, if character was personified as a person then Fabien Barthez was it. After retiring with Nantes in 2007, he lived a relatively quiet personal life. In 2020 he signed with ex-club Toulouse as their primary goalkeeping coach. Whilst he’s certainly a good coach to have, hopefully, he won’t be passing on his habits such as chain-smoking to the current team.   Lilian Thuram (RB) After leaving football, Thuram has since turned to a life of politics and social commentary. As a result, he is often cited as one of the games most intelligent and aware players. From going on marches to allow for gay marriage in France, to creating art galleries showing the origins of colonialism, it’s safe to say that Thuram has kept busy, albeit his activities have been far away from the world of football.   Marcel Desailly (CB) Like Fabien Barthez, Desailly has a naturally likable personality that made him a fan favorite. After ending his career in 2006 with Qatar SC, he returned to his birth country, Ghana in Africa. To this day, he still resides there and also supported them whilst acting as a pundit for the 2006 World Cup as a BBC pundit. Aside from media work, he is also incredibly charitable. Having worked with UNICEF he is also an OrphanAid Africa Lifetime ambassador.   Laurent Blanc (CB) After spending a few years after retirement in the wilderness, the ex-Man Utd defender Laurent Blanc began a career of management, beginning with Bordeaux. He then moved to France, PSG, and is now with Al-Rayyan in Qatar. Although trophy-less with the French national team, he’s actually a very solid manager. Not only did he win Ligue 1 three times with PSG, he also won it in 2009 with Bordeaux. Sadly, his move to Al-Rayyan looks to be financially motivated rather than due to the pursuit of medals.   Bixente Lizarazu (LB) Bixente Lizarazu has kept busy since retiring from football back in 2006. Since then, he can be found as a TV pundit in France, however it’s away from football where he’s excelled. A keen surfer, he is known to catch waves. He also won a European Championship in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. So, not only is he a European Champion in football, but he is also one in martial arts. Lizarazu also speaks five different languages.   Patrick Vieira (DM) A natural leader on and off the pitch, it was only reasonable to see the general Patrick Vieira move into management. After working behind the scenes at Man City for several years, he then moved to their sister club, New York City FC. Vieira did well there, which earned him a move to Nice. Sadly after two years, Vieira was sacked due to poor results. His next move in management will probably define his future career, so it’s an important step.   Didier Deschamps (CM) Captaining the French side, Didier Deschamps moved straight into management, just one year after winning the Euros with France. It’s safe to say that Deschamps has replicated his playing success as a manager. Having got underdogs Monaco to the Champions League final, he then got Juventus promoted from Serie B in 2007, followed by winning the league with Marseille. This got him a move to the French national team in 2012 where he’s been since. It was there where he won the 2018 World Cup. Enough said.   Youri Djorkaeff (RW) Perhaps the most decorated French player to wind up at Bolton, Djorkaeff walked away from football in 2006. Since then, he has led a mostly quiet life away from the media spotlight. After raising money for Armenian communities in 2012, he eventually earned a major charity role in 2019, as CEO of the FIFA Foundation, which aims to help underprivileged kids get into football.   Zinedine Zidane (CAM) The story of Zinedine Zidane’s life after playing football is well documented. After years of management jobs in the Real Madrid system, he finally took the reigns in 2016. This was his first spell at the club which saw him win a historic three Champions League trophies in a row, as well as two La Liga titles. Like Dechamps, he is considered as one of the greatest ever French managers and is held in high esteem as a result.   Thierry Henry (LW) After retiring in 2014, Thierry Henry moved into a number of managerial roles as well as appearing on TV as a media pundit too with SKY. Sadly, Henry’s managerial success did not match that of his contemporaries. Now, he can be found as the assistant manager with Belgium, acting as number two for Roberto Martinez.   Christophe Dugarry (ST) Since hanging up his boots in 2005 with Birmingham City, Christophe Dugarry now spends his days as a pundit on the French TV sports channel, Canal Plus. According to some, he can be quite biased towards certain teams, such as favoring the likes of Bordeaux instead of others!   Used substitutes: Sylvain Wiltord (ST): After retirement, Wiltord has moved away from football. He did however, feature in a reality TV show called ‘Dropped’ in 2015 David Trezeguet (ST): Little is known about David Trezeguet after his retirement. However, a cool fact is that his son Aaron is a trained Muay Thai practitioner. Robert Pires (RW): Like Trezeguet, Pires also retired in India. He has also avoided a life in football and is now an ambassador for Grassroots Soccer.