Franck Ribery needs to become the talisman France desperately require

 
 With a two-goal deficit to overcome in their second leg tie against Ukraine, Brendon Netto discusses why Franck Ribery must become the talisman France have lacked since Zidane.
On Friday night, both Portugal and Sweden turned to their captains to inspire a win in a crucial World Cup qualifier. It was Cristiano Ronaldo who scored the vital goal that the Portuguese will carry into the second leg where Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be expected to spark a revival for the Swedes. Meanwhile, France were devoid of leadership on the pitch in their 2-0 defeat away to Ukraine and as they prepare for the return leg, it’s hard to see who could step up to the plate.
That’s indeed surprising when you consider the players Didier Deschamps has at his disposal. Samir Nasri, Yohan Cabaye, Paul Pogba, Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema are just a few of the household names that line up for Les Bleus. However, while those players are all gifted individuals, none of them quite make it into the elitist category, not yet anyway.
That brings us to Franck Ribery, the one Frenchman at this moment in time who is poised to be among those special players who have carried their teams so often. The French squad is blessed with an abundance of quality but craves for that one player to go even further in order to lead his teammates and who better to do that than someone who won the treble this year and is regarded as a favourite for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award?

France in search for a hero

Looking back, Zinedine Zidane was arguably the last real talisman France have had. Even in illustrious company, ‘Zizou’ shone brightest and the other stars players seemed to fade in his absence. That was never more evident than in the 2002 World Cup, when a thigh injury sidelined Zidane from France's first two matches.
Without their supernova, the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele, Marcel Desailly and David Trezeguet failed to win either of those games against relatively weaker teams. Such was Zidane’s importance even in a glamourous France team that he was rushed back prematurely for the final group game but, not being fully fit, he wasn’t able to spare them a shocking early exit from the tournament.
The Real Madrid legend was named Player of the Tournament when he carried France all the way to the final in the 2006 World Cup but alas, his dismissal turned the game on its head as they lost to Italy on penalties. Regardless of how good a team is on paper, it still needs at least one player to standout.

Zidane was France's last talisman

It's why Barcelona and Real Madrid aren't quite the same without Lionel Messi and Ronaldo respectively, why an injury to Wayne Rooney spells disaster for England and why Michael Ballack's suspension in the 2002 final in Japan is still rued by every German fan.
For example, Belgium have had a fantastic group of players for a few years now but are yet to truly announce themselves and you sense that they lie in wait for one of those players to develop into a superstar. Football is a team sport but you can’t neglect the importance of talismanic figures even in the greatest sides.
In the wake of Zidane’s retirement, Ribery was touted to succeed him as France’s talisman but instead the winger went goalless for almost a year and a half. He was unable to inspire his team as they crashed out of the group stages in the 2008 European Championships.

Can Ribery step up?

The 2010 World Cup debacle on and off the pitch saw Ribery in particular attract criticism for his lacklustre displays and his ability as a leader was brought into question as well. It was only in May 2012 that he finally ended his goal drought that lasted over three years. Since then, he’s notched up 6 goals in 17 appearances which include another disappointing showing in Euro 2012.
Ribery has scored 9 goals and made 7 assists for Bayern Munich in 17 appearances this season. It’s about time he produced that sort of form for the national team in a bid to take them to the next World Cup especially if he’s vying to be recognized as the best player on the planet this year.  
Tuesday night’s game against Ukraine could well prove to be a defining moment in Ribery’s career. It represents an opportunity for the diminutive Frenchman to rise to the occasion, be the hero and spare an underachieving France side from another humiliation and the barrage of criticism that comes with it. The ability to thrive on such an occasion is what separates the good players from the great ones and at the age of 30, Ribery is running out of time to ensure that he falls in the latter category.