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'Excellent' - Simon Kuper 'The definitive story' - Christian Karembeu THE PLAYERS, THE TEAMS, THE GOALS, THE GAMES, THE SCANDALS, THE GLOOM AND THE GLORY: THE STORY OF FRENCH FOOTBALL'S EVOLUTION OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS. French football is an enigma: a mixture of brilliance and farce, flair and frailty, stunning success and abject failure. Its domestic league is mocked as an uncompetitive 'Farmers League' and its clubs ridiculed for underachieving in European competitions. But France have reached four of the past seven men's World Cup finals and at its best - the roar of the Vélodrome, the glamour of the Parc des Princes, the brilliance of Zinédine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé - French football has few equals. When it comes to scandal, meanwhile, the French are the best in the business. Tom Williams brings to life French football's evolution over the last 40 years. He details how the idealistic romanticism of the national team in the early 1980s gave way to an Italian-style pragmatism that would lead Les Bleus to the summit of the international game. By delving into French football's rich history, the book explains the myriad ways in which France has shaped the game's evolution around the world. Featuring exclusive interviews with legends such as Alain Giresse, Jean-Pierre Papin, Emmanuel Petit and Blaise Matuidi, and with appearances from Karim Benzema, Chris Waddle and Lionel Messi, it's a book no football fan should miss.