| Claude Makelele 的个人资料Road to World Cup 2006照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
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7月26日 Claude Makelele - July 26th 2006As you read this I am out in the Mediterranean, relaxing and soaking up some sunshine on boat that has been loaned to me by a friend.
Football still seems many miles away from my world at the moment and I think I deserve a break because my season did not end until July 9 at the World Cup final in Berlin.
However, it will not be long before I start to prepare myself physically and mentally for the new campaign. I will be back at Stamford Bridge next Monday and begin the process of getting ready for another tilt at the big football prizes.
The rest of the first team squad will be in America on our pre-season trip but I am unlikely to join them. My fitness levels are usually pretty high so I will not have too much catching up to do with my conditioning.
I am very much looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko who were our two main signings of the summer.
They have a great deal of ability and experience, particularly in the Champions League.
Success in Europe will be our main target but of course we cannot afford to let the Premiership title go. As double champions we cannot be satisfied. We have to go for three in a row.
But that can wait for now. I will carry on relaxing and enjoying the company of my family in the sunshine. 7月11日 Claude Makelele - July 11th 2006My first feeling at the end of the World Cup final was one of guilt. Now that might seem a strange emotion but I genuinely thought I could have done more to influence the result of the game.
I was quite happy with my performance particularly in the second half but when I scrutinise my display in detail I know I could have done some things better – like a little pass here or a tackle there – that could have benefited the team.
It was, of course, all very upsetting but, as I have mentioned in this diary before, I am a very spiritual person, and sometimes these things are meant to be. To have reached the final was a fine achievement but to come so close to winning when we were the better team was a setback we all have to take in our stride.
The sending off of Zizou was the big talking point after the game. Whether he was verbally provoked into doing what he did, I don’t know. I have not talked to him about it yet because it was such a personal thing for him to deal with.
It is wrong for anyone to pass judgment on the incident unless we know all the facts. But I really do hope it will not cast a shadow over the career of the best footballer of his generation.
Zizou does not have to feel any guilt for what happened. He has contributed so much to French football in the past and the whole country and beyond should be grateful to him.
We were all awake until three o’clock in the morning after the game discussing what might have been but we cannot change the events that have happened and must get on with out lives.
I have yet to decide what my future in international football will be but I guess it is inevitable that I will retire now. It has been an honour to play for my country and I am so glad I gave it one more go at the World Cup finals.
I will be spending the next few weeks on holiday with my family at out home in the South of France and that will give me plenty of time to dwell on the future.
There are things to look forward to when I report back with Chelsea for training. The World Cup was a great adventure but life moves on. There is no point in dwelling on the past. 7月7日 Claude Makelele - July 7th 2006There is a new chant among the France fans at the World Cup finals. It has changed from “Allez Les Bleus” to “Allez Les Vieux” (The Old Men).
I am told it is also a popular chant back home in France where 300,00 people gathered in the Champs Elysees after the win against Portugal on Wednesday.
It was an emotional moment especially for myself and the other “old men” in the squad. Players like myself Lillian Thuram., Fabien Barthez and ,of course, the Grand Master Zinedine Zidane.
We all had the same feelings before the World Cup began. We were growing old but we all felt we had one last chance for glory with the national team. Now we are 90 minutes away from living our dreams.
So here we are ready to face Italy in the final. We were all very tired after the Portugal game but a few days rest and we will be ready to go again in Berlin. If we cannot recapture our energy for a World Cup final then we never will.
I speak for the rest of the squad in saying we would much rather be playing against Italy than Germany in front of their home fans.
But it is not going to be easy. The Italians, like France, have got better as the finals have progressed. I will be up against my fellow MSN ambassador, the Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, who has had an outstanding tournament.
I have never scored a goal for France and it would really be the cherry on the cake if I could get my first international goal in what will probably be my last game for my country.
We have to rid ourselves of all the emotion now and have clear minds before the final. We believe we have the experience on our side to lift the trophy. 7月4日 Claude Makelele - July 4th 2006“Please don’t leave us” – that was the headline message in one of the French newspapers on Sunday after our win over Brazil in the quarter finals.
It was aimed at Zinedine Zidane, who, as we all know, will be retiring from football at the end of the season. I know people will say that Zizou still has so much to offer the game but I am absolutely certain he will not change his mind and will carry through his decision to quit.
Zizou has admitted to me that last season he began to feel very tired when playing for Real Madrid. Clearly he is still a world class player but if his body is telling him that he should stop playing then he is wise to listen to it.
But you get the feeling now he is on a personal mission here in Germany to bow out on a real high – and there would be no better way than to do it by lifting the World Cup trophy.
Zizou has insisted he wants to quit while he is at the top and you don’t get much higher than by winning the biggest prize in the game. What a tribute that would be to one of the all-time great players.
Our victory over Brazil came as no surprise to us. We have maintained all along that the improvement in the team has been planned and aimed at reaching our peak at just the right time.
Some teams have started off brightly and faded. We made a slow but steady start and have gradually stepped up our performance level.
We are confident but cautious now as we prepare for the semi-final against Portugal. We have too many quality players not to have made an impact on these finals and we are now in the mood to go all the way. 6月30日 Claude Makelele - June 30th 2006The World Cup finals have brought me many opportunities to meet up with some close friends from opposition teams.The rivalry has been intense but enjoyable.
During our victory over Spain I came up against my former Real Madrid colleague Raul and I am happy to say I think I came out on top of that particular contest.
Now it is time for me to get to grips with Ronaldo when we face Brazil in the quarter finals. We were very good pals at Real Madrid but I can asure you that our friendship will be put on hold when we step out onto the field on Saturday.
There has been no contact between us before the game. That would not be appropriate but once the final whistle blows I am sure we will embrace each other and talk things over.
We think Brazil are beatable. We know they have some superbly talented strikers who can win matches in a fraction of a second but they can be vulnerable in defence and we can take advantage of that.
I think we have already proved our critics wrong at these finals. As professionals we knew we were on the right track and we were proved right in the victory against Spain. We can and will get even better.
Those who didn't believe in us must be feeling a little embarrassed now but we will not gloat. We will just keep our minds on what lies ahead. 6月27日 Claude Makelele - June 27th 2006Who cares about style when you are winning World Cup matches? We certainly don’t in the France squad.
The most important thing of all when you are playing in a knock-out tournament is to win. OK, it is nice to be able to turn on the style and please the neutrals with some entertaining stuff but the No 1 priority is to make progress.
We have done that and made it into the first knockout stage where we are up against one of our oldest rivals Spain.
We are just two steps away from reaching our original target of getting to the semi-finals and if we make it on the back of another couple of scrappy performances, then so be it.
I gather there have been rumours sweeping around Germany about more divisions in the France camp with the so called “older brigade” not getting on with the younger ones.
That is nonsense of course. Players such as me, Zidaine, Thuram and Barthez have gone out of our way to help the newcomers to adjust to the unique World Cup atmosphere.
We believe we have a responsibility to pass on the baton to the new generation of international players after we have left the arena.
It is important not just to do well in this tournament but to make sure the future of French football is in safe hands. 6月21日 Claude Makelele - June 21st 2006Let us ignore the pessimists for a moment and concentrate on the positives. We may not have set the World Cup alight so far but we are still unbeaten in two games and are one victory away from qualifying for the knockout stages.
There is still some hope in the camp. The feeling is if we do get through we will start to show our true face and perform the way we know we can.
Certainly our display against South Korea was better than our opening match against Switzerland and we can expect to make more improvement.
South Korea certainly surprised us with their physical strength and ability to come back after Thiery Henry had scored for us.
The coach’s main message to us now is that we must keep possession of the ball better. Otherwise it is difficult to pinpoint why we have looked so much below our expected levels.
Of course we will be without Zidaine for our next game because of his second yellow card but we reckon we can overcome that.
The criticism from the media back home hurts but we will try to ignore that and look forward with optimism to a more rewarding match against Togo. 6月20日 Claude Makelele - June 20th 2006Even when we are focused on the biggest football tournament of our lives I think it is still important that we remember some of the less privileged people of the world.
Microsoft are helping to promote a charity called ninemillion.org which is aimed at helping the refugee children throughout the world to share the enjoyment of the most beautiful game on the planet.
Nine million refugee kids need our help. Many of them were born into refugee camps and have never left. We can do something for them simply by making a donation and acknowledging their plight.
Part of the charity´s work is to distribute nine million footballs to these camps around the world. Imagine the joy a child could have from the simple pleasure of kicking a ball around. It is something we all take for granted but for them it would be an experience to remember.
I hope anyone who reads this will take time off from watching the World Cup on television and take a look at the ninemillion.org website.
If you can spare some time and some money to donate this very worthy charity you can help bring some real enjoyment into the lives of forgotten kids all around the world. 6月16日 Claude Makelele - June 16th 2006OK, so it was not the result we were hoping for against Switzerland but it was not quite the disaster everyone is claiming it to be either.
The feeling in the camp at the moment is this: We did not lose, we can and we will get better.
We will now focus on our next game against South Korea on Sunday and then on the final group game against Toga on Friday week. Our aim is to win both of these matches, to finish top of the group and to march into the knockout stages.
On a personal level it was satisfying to be voted man of the match by L´Equipe newspaper, though of course the most important factor at present is the team´s progress and not the performance of individuals.
Our collective achievement against the Swiss was not particularly good but our opponents made it hard for us. There is a great traditional rivalry between the two nations and it was always going to be a tough contest.
I have noticed in some reports that the England players have been allowed to spend some time with their wives and girlfriends in between matches. The French squad have never done that because it is considered too much of a distraction.
However, at the moment we could do with some different company. Life in a World Cup squad camp can be boring. After a while using the Playstations and even watching my favourite DVDs can be rather repetitive. 6月12日 Claude Makelele - June 12th 2006I speak for all my colleagues in the French World Cup squad when I say how tragic it is that Djibril Cisse will miss the finals.
He is a personal friend of mine and to see him being carried off during the warm-up game against China on Wednesday was a sickening sight.
The Liverpool striker has not enjoyed the best of good fortunes over the last few years. He suffered an horrific break playing for his club side and fought his way back from that injury with great courage and character.
We all wish him a speedy recover again. But he is understandably heart broken and no words of comfort can possibly help him at this time.
Now we welcome the versatile Sidney Govou into the squad and while he would not have wished to join up with us under these circumstances he will take the opportunity with both hands. He can play as a striker or a wide player and will not let anyone down.
We have had enough of friendly internationals now after the 3-1 over China. We want the real thing to begin. There is an expectancy in the squad – especially among the “old brigade.” Let’s get started. We are ready to take on the world. 6月6日 Claude Makelele - June 6th 2006At the moment the French players are on “automatic.” That is to say we are ticking over quite comfortably and building up to a nice peak for when we kick off our opening World Cup game against Switzerland in Stuttgart on June 13.
Our victory over Denmark was welcome and I was fortunate enough to be nominated as man of the match. We will finish our warm-up programme against China this week before the real action starts. There is a feeling of anticipation in the squad now and confidence is building.
I notice there was a quote from Patrick Vieira in the media the other day when he said he felt we could win the World Cup again. For someone like Patrick to say that is a sure sign things are going well.
A lot is being made, as usual, of the attacking flair, within our squad. As I have said in my diary before we are blessed with some exceptional talent in this department.
But let us not forget our defensive qualities as well. We have a back four who were all champions in their respective Leagues last season - Eric Abiddal (Lyon), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Lilian Thuram (Juventus) and William Gallas (Chelsea).
Believe me it is easy to feel extra confident when you have such security at the back. If they are doing their jobs then we will always fancy ourselves to score goals at the other end.
Thierry Henry played his first game since Arsenal’s Champions League defeat against Barcelona when we met Denmark and managed to score one of the goals.
If he can capture the form he showed for Arsenal last season then the rest of the world should watch out. 5月31日 Claude Makelele - May 31st 2006If you believed all the media reports, you would think that a revolution had broken out in the France World Cup squad. The truth, of course, is rather different.
The only hiccup as far as we are concerned came when our goalkeeper Gregory Coupet left the training camp when we were up in The Alps. Everyone knows that he was unhappy at being made No 2 keeper behind Fabien Barthez but you would expect that kind of reaction from any professional.
Unfortunately Gregory’s frustration got the better of him and he left the group – but for little more than an hour – and then he returned and things were back to normal.
The only other slight distraction was the reaction of the French supporters in the Stade de France during our 1-0 win in a friendly match against Mexico. Some of the fans decided to boo us and I was not alone in wondering why they behaved in such a way.
As Thierry Henry said in the media, it would never have happened to any club team in England. We were hoping to leave the French capital on a real emotional high as we head for the finals. I can only imagine that the crowd behaved in this way because most of our bigger name players had left the field when the booing started.
Fortunately the crowd gave Zinedine Zidane a good send-off in his last game in the national stadium for the France team. No-one deserves more than this true giant of the game. We are unlikely to see another one like him. 5月29日 Claude Makelele - May 29th 2006When I look around the French squad it is pleasing to see so many players of great quality and experience. No-one has those qualities more than Thierry Henry and I expect him to be one of the stars of the World Cup finals.
Thierry has now committed his future to Arsenal and brought an end to the saga of whether he would stay in London or move to Barcelona. He seems relieved about that.
Those of us who know him quite well have known for a long time that was always going to be his intention but of course we were sworn to secrecy.
He is happy and contented now and has recovered from the disappointment of losing in the European Champions League final in Paris. He will want to make up for that in Germany next month.
I did not watch that game in Paris. It still hurts me too much to think that Chelsea lost to Barcelona and I could not bring myself to watch it.
At the opposite end of the scale we have relative newcomers in the French squad in Pascal Chimbonda and Franck Ribery who have settled into the group very quickly.
I have noticed what an important part Zinedine Zidane plays when we are in the training camp. Everyone looks up to him because he has been such an outstanding player during his career.
But he is a very humble and down-to-earth person who goes out of his way to integrate players like Chimbonda and Ribery into their new surroundings. There is a great team spirit developing and we cannot wait to get started. 5月23日 Claude Makelele - May 23rd 2006Now that we have gathered in our training camp retreat in The Alps we feel very relaxed and the confidence and team spirit are growing among all the players.
Relaxation is important at this stage of the preparations because most of us have been through very tough seasons with our clubs and the need to get some energy back into our bodies.
We have been doing a lot of walking in the mountains because the high altitude is very beneficial to building up our oxygen count and we will feel the full advantage when we return to sea level.
Fatigue is a real killer for the modern footballer but chatting among the guys we have all been remarking how much fresher we feel than when we won the World Cup in 1998.
The pressure was so much greater then because we were playing on home soil. This time, probably because we have done so well in the major championships since then, no-one is taking too much notice of us and we are glad of that because the lack of attention enables us to get on with our build-up reasonably untroubled.
Let’s just say we are quietly optimistic. I hope I have not put a curse on us but only this week I promised my agent Jamie Ladjemi tickets for the semi-final and final and told him I would see him there.
But deep down we are professional enough to realise we cannot afford to look that far ahead. Our opening game against Switzerland in Stuttgart on June 13 is our main focus for the moment because it is vital we get off to a good start this time. 5月18日 Claude Makelele - May 18th 2006Now the World Cup finals are really starting to approach with the names of the squads of the national teams announced. I feel honoured to be selected by the French coach Monsieur Raymond Domenech.
It is a very good squad with a good mixture of young players and experienced ones. A few people have sad to me that the French have been generally overlooked by the tipsters and could be the surprise team. Let us wait and see. We prefer to be ignored and do our job quietly and efficiently.
I suppose the interesting selections for people outside France were Pascal Chimbonda, of Wigan, Franck Ribery, of Marseille. But they were not surprises to me.
I have seen what outstanding form Pascal has been in for Wigan in the Premiership this season and he fully deserves his call-up. Ribery has been magnificent for L’Om and he is capable of taking the tournament by storm if he gets the chance to show his talent.
There was some surprise when the team coach announced that Fabien Barthez would definitely be his No 1 goalkeeper. Gregory Coupet reacted rather angrily but I am sure it was just his disappointment and he will be professional and ready to wait for his chance when the finals begin.
I was disappointed that my friend Nicolas Anelka did not make the final 23 but I suppose the fact that he plays in Turkey means that he did not attract so much attention.
With Djibril Cisse, Thierry Henry, Louis Saha, David Trezeguet and Sylvain Wiltord in contention it was always obvious that some very good forward players were going to be left at home.
This we have headed for the Alps for some altitude training and when we return to sea level we will be ready to put the finishing touches to our preparations. 5月10日 Claude Makelele - May 10th 2006It was a tame end of season for Chelsea and me personally with successive defeats against Blackburn and Chelsea in our final two games. I did not play in either because the boss wanted to give me a breather and have another look at our young midfield player Lassana Diarra.
Now this might be a coincidence but Chelsea have lost three matches this season – the other one was against Middlesbrough – and I was not playing in any of them. It just shows what a valuable member of the squad I am (just joking). I must remember to mention that to the Chelsea board the next time I have to negotiate a new contract!
It was obviously a big anti-climax to end the season in such a manner but all the hard work had been done and it was only natural that we eased off and coasted over the finishing line.
All of our thoughts will now be switched to the World Cup finals, which, at the time of writing this, are now less than five weeks away. I have taken a couple of days off to return to Paris before we all join up together with the French squad
I can feel the anticipation building at home. The French public are expecting big things from us this summer and we do not want to let them down like we have in the last two major championship finals. 5月4日 Claude Makelele - May 4th 2006You only had to see the joy of our celebrations on Saturday to see what it meant to retain the Premiership title. To share the moment with our own fans made it even more special.
When the boss Jose Mourinho threw his medal into the crowd I think he expressed what we were all feeling. We wanted the Chelsea supporters to know how much we appreciated their backing and if they could have all had a medal it would have been no more than they deserved.
However, amid all the wild scenes there was a feeling of sadness for something that had happened during the match against Manchester United.
I am referring, of course, to the injury to Wayne Rooney. A silence fell over Stamford Bridge when he went down holding his foot and that was a real contrast to the noise and euphoria that greeted our title winning victory at the final whistle.
For the England striker to pick up such an injury at any time is very unfortunate but for it to happen so close to the World Cup finals is even more upsetting.
Wayne is a world class player who is capable of being one of the outstanding individuals of the tournament. PLayers of every nation will be disappointed if he is forced to miss the finals.
I am certain that ally my French colleagues will join me in hoping and praying that his recovery is speedy and successful so that he can play some part in England’s World Cup campaign. 4月27日 Claude Makelele - April 27th 2006It is with some sadness that I discovered this week my good friend Zinedine Zidane will retire from football after the World Cup finals in the summer.
I know Zizou exceptionally well from my days at Real Madrid and I don’t need to tell anyone what a superb footballer he is. But in addition to his physical strength, outstanding ability on the ball and gift for scoring outstanding goals, he has a strong mentality and attitude that sets him apart from most players.
He will be missed by fans and players throughout the world and in France in particular where he is idolised as a person and a sportsman. You never hear anything bad about Zizou on or off the field and he is a credit to his profession.
But having spoken to him at length I know that he intends to go into retirement on a real high. That means of course winning the World Cup. He was a big star when we won the trophy in 1998 and despite some claims that he is a fading figure in football, I know that he intends to have the same impact this summer.
I am proud and privileged to have shared the field of play and dressing room with Zizou. He is one of the great players of his generation. Indeed at one time he was the greatest player in the world. I wish him well in his retirement – but first let us make sure he departs having left one more outstanding memory in our minds.
4月26日 Claude Makelele - April 26th 2006Our chances of completing a Premiership and FA Cup double disappeared when we were beaten by Liverpool on Saturday. It was one of those days when, although we did not play to our best form, if we had put away our chances we would have reached the final.
But there are no prizes for finishing second in a knockout semi-final so now we must devote our full attention to clinching the title on Saturday against Manchester United.
It will not be a formality but we have every confidence that we will be raising the Premiership trophy again before the season is over.
How shall I celebrate? Sorry to be boring but it will be a quiet one for me. I prefer not to go on the town for a wild night out.
I think that applies to most French players. We are not great alcohol drinkers. It must be something to do with our upbringing but a few glasses of wine are more than enough.
Usually it is very expensive wine and invariably some of it will be left in the bottle. We do have some strange habits, don’t you think?
The only time I have been known to let myself go and have a real good time is on my birthday. Apart from that I prefer to remain reasonably sober.
But don’t let that stop Chelsea fans having a real good time if we win the title on Saturday. I hope they will be raising their glasses to another successful season. I’ll drink to that. 4月20日 Claude Makelele - April 20th 2006It is becoming more of a regular feature of Chelsea’s games now that the opposition teams are designating a man to mark me throughout the match.
While that is very flattering, I have to say I do find it a little bit strange that they should find it necessary to pay so much attention to a defensive midfielder. Their argument is that so many of Chelsea’s moves start with me winning the ball and they want to cut me out of the match and at the same time reduce our supply line to our more attacking players.
It is a challenge I am enjoying considerably. When you have been in the game for so long, it is always nice to face something different to overcome and the one good thing about opponents taking the trouble to man-mark me is that it gives our other players extra space to exploit.
It was a great Easter weekend for Chelsea with our closest rivals Manchester United slipping further behind in the race for the title. Now we are geared up to seal it mathematically when United come to Stamford Bridge at the end of the month.
Actually we don’t mind where win it or how we win it but I have to admit it will taste so much sweeter if it is in front of our own fans and against the team that has pushed us closest all season.
Before we meet United we have the small matter of an FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool and the double is an achievement we would love to complete. |
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