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| LIONEL CIRONNEAU/AP |
| PAST MASTER: Zinedine Zidane runs during a training session at the Luz stadium in Lisbon |
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For a generation of thirtysomething football stars, Euro 2004 could be the final shot at a big trophy. Will they go with a whimper or a bang?
By BRUCE CRUMLEY |
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Posted Sunday, June 13, 2004; 11.13 BST
In the universe some stars make spectacular exits as exploding supernovas, their auras blazing across space. Others simply peter out, becoming what astronomers call dwarfs — faint points of light that slowly go dark. For the aging stars of European soccer, Euro 2004 might offer that same stark choice of outcomes. Certainly, the European championships have before. Think of 1996, when fading English bad boy Paul Gascoigne had luminous moments throughout the tourney, then scored the ultimate solo wonder goal against Scotland: running onto a pass into the box, Gazza flicked the ball over the head of the last defender and volleyed it into the Scottish goal. In the dwarf category, Germany's Lothar Matthäus' grim performance in the Low Countries four years ago — snagging his 150th German cap, and promptly vanishing as Portugal racked up a 3-0 win — took some of the shine off his World Cup medal. What's undeniable is that this year's tournament marks the end of an era for one of Europe's most talented footballing generations — a last chance for the stars to shine brightly before their international careers come to an end.
Consider the defending champions, France. While striker Thierry Henry, 26, continues his rise to celestial heights, otherworldly playmaker Zinedine Zidane is nearing 32 and though he backed off an announcement that he'll retire after Euro 2004, many doubt they'll see him on the pitch at the 2006 World Cup. "Zizou" doesn't have to worry about his legacy, but he does want to erase memories of a woeful 2002 World Cup, and Real Madrid's miserable season this year. French defender Bixente Lizarazu, 34, has decided to make this his last Euro. And iconic teammates like goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, 32, and defenders Lilian Thuram, 32, and Marcel Desailly, 35 (booed loudly in recent performances), will soon face some gritty contemplation about just how solid their hold is on national team slots. "Between this Euro, and the 2006 World Cup, we'll see a considerable number of departures from national sides in both quantitative and qualitative terms," predicts Aimé Jacquet, who coached France to its 1998 world title and launched French stars like Zidane, Lizarazu and Barthez. "It will mark a major transformation in European football." And it's not just France. For Luís Figo, 31, and the last of the "golden generation" of Portugal, this is the final opportunity to actually bring home gold. "It makes me sad," Figo said recently, "to think that this may be my last year with the national team after 12 years." Sadder still if the Portuguese come up empty at home. And for aging Dutch masters such as Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids, there's only, what, a decade of football futility to unwind? "At some point you think, now it's enough," says Frank de Boer, who at 34 and with more than 100 caps to his credit will make his last appearance with a Dutch team he joined in 1990. "It's time," he says, "to give others a chance to get into the team."
De Boer is one of only a few players who have formally set this Euro as their international finale. Others include his teammate Jaap Stam, 31, and Swiss stalwart Stéphane Chapuisat, 34. Thirty-two- year-old Glasgow Celtic legend Henrik Larsson reversed his retirement from international play after the 2002 World Cup due to ferocious lobbying from fellow Swedes, including Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson. Others, like the scowling German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, 35 next week, hope performances in Portugal will bolster plans to stick it out for another two years until the Germany-hosted World Cup. Still others know they might not have the choice. "If we play poorly, it may be time for the next generation of players," says defender Michael Reiziger, 31, one of nearly half a dozen potential retirees on the perennial Dutch duds.
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 Brand it Like Beckham [Apr. 27, 2003]
England's captain on keeping his life in balance: "Never say never"
Players Behaving Badly [Jan. 14, 2002]
More English footballers wind up in the courts, prompting questions about discipline off the pitch
Home-Field Advantage [Feb. 27, 2001]
Are some foreign football stars playing for European teams with the assistance of bogus passports?
Back to the Bad Old Days
[Oct. 14, 2002]
English fans were at their worst at last week's Euro 2004 qualifying match against Slovakia
No Money, No Kickoff [Aug. 25, 2002]
Reality bites, and Italian teams are forced to take drastic action
Pink, Proud And Scoring [May. 14, 2001]
Spain's Alav s proves soccer success doesn't always require big bucks
In The Football Business [Sep. 7, 2003]
The true cost of a kick in the grass
Play and Pay [Jul. 30, 2001]
European soccer's big leagues are eager to recruit Japanese players and not just for their ball skills
Search all issues of TIME Magazine
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| Saturday, June 7, 2008 |
UEFA Euro 2008
Austia & Switzerland |
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