France and the Carre Magique

A golden generation for French football in the 1950s was followed by two decades of failure and self-doubt before Les Bleus became World Cup semi-finalists in 1982 and European Champions in 1984. Yara El-Shaboury writes about coach Michel Hidalgo’s legacy, and his midfield carre magique, or magic square, which confirmed France’s place at the top table of international football.

June 2021

France have started the delayed EURO 2020 tournament as world champions and strong favourites. Les Bleus boast some of the best players in the world, and with the wealth of talent in the French squad, it would be easy to assume that they have always been close to the summit of international football. There was a time, however, when France struggled to compete with the world’s best. The tide only turned for Les Bleus at the 1984 European Championships, some eighty years after the team’s inception.

The 1984 tournament on French soil was less than eagerly awaited. The previous European Championships, in Italy in 1980, had been a disaster on all fronts. Attendance numbers were poor, with stadia only half-full unless the host nation featured. There had also been little enthusiasm from fans at home, with viewing figures so poor that most broadcasters lost money in showing the tournament. Football hooliganism had become a growing problem in Europe during the early 1970s, reaching a peak at the 1980 tournament when clashes between fans and riot police resulted in the use of tear gas in the stands. The football itself was also dull – the average of 1.93 goals per match was the second-lowest figure for the European Championships, narrowly beating the 1.4 goals per game scored in 1968 in a ranking which still stands today. Negative tactics reigned supreme as West Germany, criticised for a cautious style of play, lifted the title after defeating Belgium 2-1 in the final in Rome.

The lack of interest in the 1984 tournament was compounded when several of Europe’s best sides failed to qualify. World champions Italy finished fourth in their qualifying group, winning just one of eight matches, at home to Cyprus. England also failed to qualify from a supposedly easy group, losing a key encounter with Denmark at Wembley in September 1983. The Netherlands, meanwhile, were set to qualify on goal difference ahead of Spain, who needed to beat Malta on the final matchday by a margin of 11 or more goals to qualify. In one of the most controversial matches in football history, Spain defeated Malta 12-1 and eliminated the Dutch.

With so many heavyweights missing out on the tournament, most people thought that the finals would only disappoint – so much so that in the UK both the BBC and ITV snubbed the tournament and neglected to show live coverage of any of the group stage matches. Yet the 1984 edition is now fondly remembered as one of the best ever European Championships, and it turned out to be the tournament which confirmed France’s seat at the top table of international football.

Prior to 1984, Les Bleus had been blessed with a plethora of talent, yet it was often misused, leading to limited success. A golden generation achieved great success with their respective clubs during the 1950s. Among them were Just Fontaine, who still holds the record for most goals scored at a single World Cup (13 in 1958); Raymond Kopa, a legendary playmaker who won the Ballon d’Or in 1958 and was an integral part of Real Madrid’s early European success; and Robert Jonquet, a defensive catalyst for the successful Stade de Reims side of that decade. These were some of the most talented players France has produced, but collectively, the golden generation failed to perform for the national team when it mattered. At the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, they failed to advance from the group stage after losing to Yugoslavia, while in Sweden in 1958, Fontaine’s side were well beaten by the seventeen-year-old Pelé’s second-half hat-trick, after star defender Jonquet suffered a broken leg earlier in the semi-final against eventual champions Brazil.

Les Bleus’ decline in the 1960s and 70s saw the country miss out on the 1962, 1970, and 1974 World Cups, while also persistently failing to qualify for the European Championships before qualifying as hosts for 1984. Multiple managers came and went without success, and the confidence of the French public did not improve when in 1976 the football federation hired Michel Hidalgo, a former player who only made one appearance for the national team and who had little managerial experience.

Success did not come overnight, and Hidalgo, criticised for his apparent lack of tactical acumen, certainly had his ups and downs in the role. In 1978, during a radio interview after a poor run of form, Hidalgo responded to disapproval of his methods by bursting into tears and saying: “I’m always told that I’m an idealist. I will remain so but will look at the world differently now. Since when should kindness and goodness be seen as weaknesses?”

By 1981, France’s performances were still inconsistent, and ahead of a crucial match against the Netherlands, a qualifier for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Hidalgo had an approval rating of just 3% among fans. Knowing the burden on his shoulders, Hidalgo opted to be bold and played a 4-3-3 with three number tens in midfield: Michel Platini, Alain Giresse, and Bernard Genghini. France won the match 2-0, signalling Hidalgo’s tactical nous.

Les Bleus qualified for the World Cup and impressed at the tournament, reaching a semi-final in Seville against West Germany, one of the world’s best footballing nations at the time. The Germans scored first in the 17th minute but conceded a penalty ten minutes later, which Platini converted. In the first half of extra time France scored twice, and at 3-1 up most people felt that they had booked their ticket for the final. West Germany hit back twice, however, equalising with Klaus Fischer’s memorable overhead kick. The ensuing penalty shoot-out, the first ever at a World Cup, was tied at 4-4 after both teams had failed to convert one of the five, and it turned into a sudden-death situation. When Maxime Bossis’s penalty was saved, it was left for Germany’s Horst Hrubesch to slot the winning penalty past Jean-Luc Ettori.

The match will always be remembered for the appalling challenge by goalkeeper Harald ‘Toni’ Schumacher on substitute Patrick Battiston, which left the Frenchman unconscious and seriously injured, and which added so much animosity and tension to the occasion. Schumacher, who was not even booked, later topped a French newspaper poll on the most unpopular figures in the country, ahead of Adolf Hitler. Now known as the “Night of Seville” (pictured below), the match is considered one of the best of all time, and Platini has called it “my most beautiful game,” despite its bitter ending for the French. Les Bleus had overcome their tactical deficiencies, and were the better team that night, but a negative view of Hidalgo’s tactics now shifted to a negative view of the squad’s mental strength. However, Hidalgo himself and his team did not feed into that belief. They felt that it was their attacking flair and focus on “beautiful football” that caused them to lose the match.

Most managers would have recognised a need to tweak their tactics to ensure defensive stability, but Hidalgo doubled down on his principles. Bruno Bellone, an unused substitute in Seville, talked about Hidalgo’s view of football, the mentality that led to the defeat against West Germany, and why he refused to change: “Maybe we didn’t calculate enough. Michel [Hidalgo] was a poetic person. For him it was about the game, about pleasure. We took so much pleasure from it that it no doubt cost us the match against West Germany. We could have played it like the Italians and got to the final, but…”

Hidalgo was well aware of his stubbornness in playing appealing football, too: “I never spoke to my players about the result. Never! I always told them to think about the game, and the results would look after themselves. As a player, a coach, and a fan I always felt this way. I don’t care if I come across as a poet or as old-fashioned.”

By 1984, Hidalgo had switched to the more cautious, traditional 4-4-2 formation, but not without innovation – he used a diamond in midfield of Luis Fernández, Jean Tigana, Giresse, and Platini. Fernández played at the base of the diamond. The youngest of the four, he was crucial in cleaning up any defensive mishaps, and was integral in linking attack to defence. Tigana took over the left side, covering the flank in true box-to-box fashion. Along with his stamina, his technical ability was unmatched, and he was the team’s most impressive distributor, capable of defence-splitting passes. Giresse was out wide on the right, using his speed and smaller frame to stretch defences. And of course, Platini was at the top of the diamond, afforded the freedom to cause havoc just behind the two strikers.

By 1984, Hidalgo had switched to the more cautious, traditional 4-4-2 formation, but not without innovation – he used a diamond in midfield of Luis Fernández, Jean Tigana, Giresse, and Platini. Fernández played at the base of the diamond. The youngest of the four, he was crucial in cleaning up any defensive mishaps, and was integral in linking attack to defence. Tigana took over the left side, covering the flank in true box-to-box fashion. Along with his stamina, his technical ability was unmatched, and he was the team’s most impressive distributor, capable of defence-splitting passes. Giresse was out wide on the right, using his speed and smaller frame to stretch defences. And of course, Platini was at the top of the diamond, afforded the freedom to cause havoc just behind the two strikers.

Hidalgo was the first manager to play all four in the same starting eleven – in a 2-0 win over England in February 1984 – and the quartet quickly became known as the carre magique, or magic square. France went into the European Championships that summer as favourites, given that they were hosts and had won 11 of 12 friendlies leading up to the tournament. However, many questioned Les Bleus’ mentality given their lack of silverware over the years. Those shouts were quickly silenced when the carre magique performed at their best.

After an opening 1-0 win over Denmark, France faced Belgium, who were in the period of their first golden age. France swept the Belgians away 5-0, with a hat-trick from Platini and a goal each from Giresse and Fernández. Les Bleus went into the final group game full of confidence, and another hat-trick from Platini saw off Yugoslavia in a 3-2 win. All eyes were on hosts France in the semi-final against Portugal, as many wondered if they would suffer the same agony as in Seville two years previously. This match at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille had a similar energy, with both sides scoring once in normal time and causing extra time. When Portugal took the lead in the 98th minute, the dread and doubt could easily have crept into French minds, but a second goal for defender Jean-François Domergue restored parity with five minutes remaining in extra time.

At this point, it was anyone’s game. Both teams had chances in the final minutes, but it was France who progressed to the final this time, with a winning goal in the 119th minute. Who else but Platini, who received the ball on the edge of the six-yard box from Tigana, after the midfielder had seemingly danced past the Portuguese defence from the half-way line. Once the ball hit the back of the net, the Portuguese fell to the ground in agony, suddenly finding themselves in a similar position to that of their opponents two years earlier. Once again, France had not made it easy for themselves, but the viewing public hardly cared about the team’s defensive deficiencies, as they celebrated hysterically in Marseille upon reaching a first ever major international final. The victory over Portugal, just as the defeat to West Germany, is considered one of the best matches of all time thanks to the attacking intent displayed by both teams.

The final itself, against Spain at Parc des Princes, was not quite as thrilling. La Roja were missing two key players in Antonio Maceda and Rafael Gordillo and were unable to match the technical ability and fitness levels of Hidalgo’s side. France scored early in the second half – Platini’s ninth goal of the championships, a tally that remains unmatched – and despite Yvon Le Roux’s dismissal five minutes from time, they held on, with Bellone adding a second goal in the final minute to seal a 2-0 win. If this was a comparatively routine win for the French, the emotions behind it were anything but, as this was a nation starved of footballing success. “Before, France was a country that didn’t know how to win,” Fernández said years after the tournament. “They used to say that the most important thing was ‘taking part.’ In 1984, we showed people that we could win titles. We had become a footballing nation that earned respect from other countries.”

After the media and the public’s constant doubting of Hidalgo’s tactics and ability to lead the squad, he had finally found a winning recipe with his carre magique, a recipe no other French manager had found before. “It was a triumph for attacking football after years of defensive attitudes,” said Hidalgo after the final, and not a single one of his critics could utter a word of disapproval.

Hidalgo’s appointment would go down as one of the best decisions in French football history. His legacy is that of the manager who took Les Bleus to their greatest heights and led the country to compete with the best footballing nations in the world. He was unafraid to impose his distinctive style, despite much criticism and condemnation. France went on to have other legendary managers who have brought home silverware, with Aimé Jacquet and Didier Deschamps winning the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, respectively. But of the three, Hidalgo’s team arguably showed the most attacking flair. Perhaps he himself said it best after the 1998 win: “Today, one plays with three sixes and a ten. I played with three tens and a six.”

What made the carre magique work so well was the way the four players interacted. Platini, with nine goals, was of course the star – but he would never have garnered all the plaudits he received if it were not for the rest of the magical midfield foursome behind him, helping him to lead his country to glory.

Words: Yara El-Shaboury | Imagery: Imago; Offside