1998 WC Winner Names His Greatest Ever France XI

1998 FIFA World Cup winner Marcel Desailly has named his greatest ever France XI, and surprisingly snubbed two Premier League legends.

Tired of reading? Click through the gallery above to see who Marcel Desailly picked for his greatest ever France XI.

Former Chelsea and Les Bleus centre-back Marcel Desailly sat down with The Guardian recently, and when he was asked to select a starting line-up of the best players who have represented France, he named an XI that excluded the likes of Eric Cantona and former Arsenal stalwart Patrick Vieira.

Starting in goals, Desailly selected former Manchester United shot-stopper Fabien Barthez to be his No. 1. The 46-year-old won the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000 with his country.

In defence, he picked Lilian Thuram at right-back and Bixente Lizarazu on the opposite side as his fullbacks, while Marius Tresor and Maxime Bossis were trusted with the centre-back roles.

In the middle of the park, the 49-year-old went with Jean Tigana and former UEFA president Michel Platini, with Alain Giresse and former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane on the right and left flanks, respectively.

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Up top, Desailly went with the country's all-time top goalscorer in Thierry Henry, as well as Jean-Pierre Papin, a player he described as the "ultimate goalscorer".

What is your take on the former defender's greatest ever France XI? Have your say in the comments section below.