France 1998
France won their first World Cup on home soil on 12 July 1998, on a magical night at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis before 80,000 spectators. Zinédine Zidane, until then quiet in the tournament, chose the final to deliver one of the most dominant individual performances ever seen: two headed goals identical, unstoppable, majestic in the first half that made it 2-0. Emmanuel Petit sealed the 3-0 in the dying minutes. Brazil, the holders, were a shadow of themselves Ronaldo had suffered a convulsive episode hours before kick-off, and his presence on the pitch remains a mystery shrouded in commercial pressure. France Black, Blanc, Beur, a multicultural team embodying modern France celebrated on the Champs-Élysées with over a million people. For Zidane, born in Marseille to Algerian parents, it was the ultimate coronation.