The 30 best players in World Cup history
By James Dudko
19. Michel Platini, France
Michel Platini was the embodiment of midfield artistry at this level. France didn’t win the tournament until 1998, but they never had a better midfield quartet than the one Platini held together in 1982.
Les Bleus arrived in Spain armed with the “Carre Magique,” a four-strong platoon of world-class magicians in the middle. Alain Giresse was coolness personified on the ball, Luis Fernandez did the often unseen work every team needs to function, while Jean Tigana was the classy stroller who never looked flustered.
Yet for all the talent of the three around him, Platini was the sprinkling of magic dust. There wasn’t an aspect of his game anything less than majestic.
Platini could thread passes through any gap, take control in front of his defense and was a delight going forward. His late runs and quality in front of goal made him more prolific than a central midfielder in any era should ever be.
Such was Platini’s obvious class, Italy made it their business to man-mark him into oblivion in 1978. But nobody, not the Italians or a swarm of Bees, could get near the Gallic field general four years later.
Platini carried France to a semifinal against West Germany. France were denied on penalties, but only after goalkeeper Harald Schumacher had knocked out Patrick Battiston with an awful challenge that somehow went unpunished.
The defeat cut deep, but Platini was still good enough to take the French back to the last four in ’86. A captain and inspiration, Platini is the player every subsequent member of Les Bleus has been judged against.