Parisian trio set for World Cup final
Three Parisians are in Didier Deschamps' squad for Sunday's World Cup final, putting them in an exclusive group of players to have represented the Club at the highest level of world football.
They're just a step away! France have just one more game to win to be able to sew a second star onto their shirts. Twenty years after the 3-0 win over Brazil in 1998, the man who captained Les Bleus to that triumph, Didier Deschamps, will attempt to orchestrate a famous win over Croatia in Moscow on Sunday.
There were no Parisian players in the 1998 squad, but Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé, who are in Deschamps' squad, are following in the footsteps of a small, illustrious band of Rouge et Bleu stars who have played in the global showpiece.
Gabriel Calderon was part of the Argentina squad beaten by Germany in 1990, and was the first Parisian to play in the World Cup final. Rai joined him four years later, but the Brazilian claimed football's ultimate prize as he helped his nation beat Italy 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out after a goalless draw in Pasadena.
Another Brazilian, Ronaldinho, helped the Seleçao claim a fifth World Cup at the expense of Germany in Yokohama while Vikash Dhorasoo was in the France squad beaten by Italy in a penalty shoot-out in Berlin in 2006. Ezequiel Lavezzi was also on the wrong end of the scoreline for Argentina as they were beaten by Germany in Rio de Janeiro in 2014. Two wins, three defeats so far...will our Parisian trio even up the numbers on Sunday?