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Friday's Connector: David Ginola
Known as a maverick of the football world, David Ginola has had a long and colorful career on the international stage and is in a unique position to tell us what to expect from the 2010 World Cup.
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caption="David Ginola is your Connector of the Day."]
Ginola was born in 1967 and first started playing football at the club level in 1985 with Toulon.
After a few short stints at clubs in Paris and Brest, Ginola was selected to play for the French national team during the qualifying matches for the 1994 World Cup.
During their final qualifying game against Bulgaria, France only needed a draw to qualify for the tournament.
With the match tied at one, Ginola was forcing the ball towards the Bulgarian goal, when his sudden kick hit the ball towards the opposing team.
The kick allowed the Bulgarian defence to break free and eventually resulted in a surprise goal which knocked France out of competition.
The French manager blamed Ginola for the failure and he was quickly ostracized as the ‘assassin of French football.’
In 1995, Ginola moved to England and signed with Newcastle United. After two years, Ginola went on to play for teams including Everton and Aston Villa.
As the French national team prepare to play in the second opening game of the 2010 World Cup, Ginola is ready to offer a unique insight into what to expect from the French side.
What is your opinion on the Current Football Results of the FC Barcelona footballer and the France national football captain Thierry Daniel Henry? What is your opinion on the Current Results of the France national coach Raymond Domenech?
Greetings,
Jurgen R. Brul
Paramaribo, Suriname
Hi David,
Since the retirement of Zidane, French national team has been finding it difficult to produce the much needed results and therefore challenge for the Europe and world cups. How many years do you think France and world should wait until France is capable to seriously challenge and win in europe and the world cup?
How do you think France will fare in the group stage against Uruguay, Mexico, and South Africa?
As a fervent fans of french national team i want to know, how long might be the road that this team will make in this competition?
Today i find this team in difficult condition to produce occasions in their mediocre game, and for this i think the most important fault is raymond domenech. Which is your opinion in this point?
Je vous salute par tirana albania
Vive la FRANCE
Adrian BEDAJ
Bonjour David.
Great to have you as the Football connector of the day just before the World Cup.
David, what are your feelings about the French team's potential contrast ? The team holds so many talented players that shine in their respective clubs, nevertheless, something is not computing in the National team. The capabilities do not add up. Ever since Zidane retired in 2006, the "Les Bleus"'s game have been really poor.
What's missing in there on your opinion ?
Merci.
Chris Clavel
Would you say the flamboyant playing style of Frank Ribbery will be key to winning games for France in the World Cup or do you think it will not be as effective as it is for his club team?
Kind regards,
Andres Bustamante in Colombia
Hi David. Great player as i recall! My question is: Is Yoann Goucuff the new number 10 in France? I've seen some warm up games like Costa Rica and China and my impression is that the kid is getting his grip on the role. I guess Toulalan makes it easier for him to move freely, not strap on the defensive midfield role. Is he the new Maverick for Les Bleus?
Thanx
Fred
Hi David,
It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to ask you a question; I'm a huge Tottenham fan. With the World Cup only a few short hours away, how do suggest more Americans get into the game?
Thanks a lot! Up the Spurs,
Kristin in Washington DC
Hi David.
Welcome to the chat room.
Do you feel that France deserve to be in the World Cup after their cheating against Ireland?
Hi David,
I want to know how you felt after giving away the ball which resulted in Bulgaria scoring against France thereby allowing them to qualify for the world cup ahead of France and how you felt when you were given the tag "assassin of French football"
Cheers
Edwin.
Hi David,
How far do you think Nigeria will go in this World Cup tourney?
Bonjour David,
Je suis une très grande fan (vive le PSG!) de toi. Que penses-tu des scandales qui entourent actuellement l'équipe de France? Entre l'affaire Zahia, celle de l'hôtel, etc...est-ce que cela aura un impact sur le jeu de l'équipe ce soir? Tu penses qu'ils peuvent aller jusqu'ou? Malgré ce que tout le monde dit sur notre équipe, je reste une fan et je suis fière de mon pays et de mes joueurs. J'espère que ce soir on pourra prouver à tous que la France est là pour gagner.
Merci beaucoup!
And by the way to Jurgen, Thierry Henry is not the captain of the French team!
Happy Friday!
Simple question: In your opinion, what makes soccer (or football) such a great sport? And why do you think it hasn't acquired the same popularity in the US (although I think it's gaining ground)?
Thanks much!
Keira
NY