Still think Thierry Henry is the best footballer in the world?
Don't get me wrong, this is no slight on the Arsenal man for he would clearly be in the top two or three in anyone's list.
But if anyone watching England's 2-1 defeat by France thinks that Henry is a more complete player than Zinedine Zidane they must know something I don't about the beautiful game.
The Real Madrid midfielder was quite simply out of this world in the impressive Estadio da Luz even before he had denied England's very own 'Lisbon Lions' a victorious opening to their Euro 2004 Group B campaign.
And what can you say about the free-kick/penalty combination that ripped the heart out of England?
Here's one word you might like to try - class.
Both were perfectly executed giving David James absolutely no chance when lesser players would have succumbed to the intense pressure heaped upon his shoulders.
That is something Henry certainly seemed to do, particularly in a first half when he was superbly marshalled by England's rookie centre-back Ledley King.
Henry was more like his usual self after the interval where he got plenty of joy marauding down the left but even so this was a strangely below-par performance from a man who has swept all before him in the Premiership this season.
And while the Arsenal man toiled up front alongside David Trezeguet, Zidane was pulling all the strings lying deep.
He never wasted a pass with either left or right foot, never looked rushed and turned in the sort of inspirational captain's display not seen since David Beckham's tireless efforts against Greece in qualification for the last World Cup.
Here of course Zidane was up against his Real Madrid team-mate and despite the England man setting up Frank Lampard's first-half header, his missed penalty ultimately cost Sven-Goran Eriksson's men dearly.
They should not be downbeat, though.
They had France on a plate and but for a moment of madness from Steven Gerrard and two moments of genius from Zidane they would have beaten the world and European champions with a tremendous rearguard action.
Besides, the other two teams they will come up against in Group B - Croatia and Switzerland - are not in the same league as France...or, dare I say it, England.
Indeed if France are in the Premiership of international teams then on their display in Leiria, Croatia and Switzerland must be Nationwide Two - or should I say Coca-Cola One or whatever the Football League has renamed itself.
In the worst game of the tournament so far both sides failed to inspire, failed to score and failed to scare.
So let us not lose hope.
England will surely bounce back from this heartbreaking, gut-wrenching defeat with two successive victories to end their Group B campaign in a fighting second place.
But Sunday was France's night.
And as for ZZ, he's still the tops.
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
