The most beautiful photos of football legends at auction by L’Équipe
Diego Maradona, March 24, 1982, Monumental Stadium, Buenos Aires (Team)
In a friendly match with Germany in Buenos Aires (1:1), 21-year-old Diego Armando Maradona is already the playmaker of Argentina. Earned his first choice with the Albiceleste at the age of 16, he continued to perform well in the early 1980s. The road to success followed for the future “D10S”.
Pele, June 1960, ex Parc des Princes, Paris (L’Équipe collections)
Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka Pele. The star of the previous 1958 World Cup in Sweden, with his club Santos, was in the crowd in France for the 1960 Paris Tournament. Autographs, interviews, photos: the pre-season competition turned into a media tour for the young King Pele (19), admired by the French public .
France v Brazil (1-1, 4-3 on penalties), 21 June 1986, Jalisco Stadium, Guadalajara (Richard Le Moel / L’Équipe)
Dance with the Brazilian stars
“He is the only one who can play in any team and in any position in Brazil”. Pele doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to honoring Michel Platini. By the way, like “Platoche” who tried to sneak past the Brazilian defense in the 1/4 finals of the 1986 World Cup.
Raymond Kopa, November 1958, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid (L’Équipe)
Raymond Kopa with the Merengues in 1958, the year he won the Ballon d’Or. His arrival at “Real” in 1956 was a significant event. She represented everything we envied in France: elegance, glamour, class. In addition, phonetically, his name means “cut”. Quite a symbol.
Zinédine Zidane, 12 July 1998, Stade de France, Saint-Denis (Alain Landrain / L’Équipe)
And Zidane appeared. twice.
The best French player could not stand out better than today in the final of the world championship. He is yet to score in this World Cup but will mature in a big way and lead the Blues to success. In the 27th minute, Emmanuel Petit got ahead of Leonardo and took a corner kick from the right to the near post where Zizou headed and sent the ball into the Brazilian net. It was Aimé Jacquet who advised him to write himself in the first post after noting a certain slowness in South American tagging. He would do it again in the 45th minute: Djorkaeff would curl a corner from the left, this time for ZZ’s head, which would cut off the trajectory at the near post. The ball will roll between the legs of the last defender Roberto Carlos.
Karim Benzema, March 9, 2022, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid. (Franck Faugère / Team)
Karim Benzema celebrates Real Madrid’s qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a 3-1 win over PSG. KB9 will be the hero of the match. The author of the hat-trick (61st, 76th, 78th) canceled the meeting. By scoring his 309th goal that night, he overtook Alfredo Di Stefano to become Real Madrid’s 3rd all-time top scorer. Today, the Frenchman has surpassed Raul (323 goals with Real) and slightly behind Cristiano Ronaldo (450 goals) in the historical rating of Madrid scorers.
George Best, April 1969, Old Trafford, Manchester (L’Équipe)
Best of all, the fifth Beatles
Once you become a world star, there is no going back. In 1969, George Best in a suit at Old Trafford was followed by the usual media frenzy. Success that pleases the striker. Parties, alcohol, gambling: Best indulged in all excesses during his career.
Kylian Mbappe, 15 July 2018, Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow (Franck Faugère / L’Équipe)
“If Kilian keeps breaking records like this, I might have to dust off my sneakers again.”, Pele laughs on Twitter after Mbappe’s performance in the World Cup final against Croatia (4-2). The France number 10 (then aged 19 years and six months) is the second-youngest player to score in a World Cup final after Pele (aged 17 years and eight months) in 1958.
Jean-Pierre Papin, 11 April 1992, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (Alain Landrain/L’Équipe)
Papinad. Common name. Feminine. Jean-Pierre Papi’s signature style of goal: power volley, false scissors or reverse scissors. A five-time top scorer in Ligue 1 between 1988 and 1992, “JPP” continues to make headlines in an OM shirt, as he did against Montpellier in April 1992 (0-0). His trademark.
Johan Cruyff, 8 January 1978, Camp Nou, Barcelona (Jean-Claude Pichon / L’Équipe)
“El flaco” (“the thin”), as he was nicknamed at FC Barcelona, against Rayo Vallecano (1-1) in his final season at the club. When he arrived in Catalonia in 1974, Johan Cruyff’s clever play and technique enabled Barça to win the 1973-1974 La Liga after 14 years without a title. After his playing career, the Dutchman would return as coach (1988-1996) and put the Blaugrana back in the limelight.
United States v Netherlands (2-0), July 7, 2019, Groupama Stadium, Lyon (Alex Martin/L’Équipe)
Rapinoe takes a corner kick in the final of the 2019 World Cup. 57,000 spectators gathered at the Lyon stadium for the final between the USA and the Netherlands (2-0). The meeting was moderated by French woman Stephanie Frappart.
Platini’s birthday, 23 May 1988, Stade Marseille-Picot, Nancy (Pierre Lablatiniere / L’Équipe)
Desired casting in Marcel-Picot
Ten numbers were not enough for everyone. Diego Maradona, Enzo Francescoli, Ruud Gullit, Rabah Madjer, Lothar Matthäus, Zico and King Pele: the greatest players of the era came to celebrate the end of Michel Platini’s career. For one day, the Marcel Pico stadium in Nancy has become the capital of football.
