Berlin: Zinedine Zidane and three other survivors from France's victorious 1998 World Cup final will line up for a second one on Sunday. Don't be fooled by their fame or their achievements.
France coach Raymond Domenech doesn't even recognise any of them anymore.
"The players from those days are no longer the same, even if they have the same name. They are older, they have changed. You cannot compare them," Domenech said on Saturday, a day before his team plays Italy in the World Cup final.
Whether they actually will lift the World Cup again will depend much on what eight years of wear and tear have done to them.
Still, these 30 somethings form the backbone of Les Bleus when they play at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, 35, still has his scary moments, as his late fumble in the semi-finals against Portugal proved. But his selection over in-form Gregory Coupet is no longer questioned because he has allowed only two goals so far.
Lilian Thuram has moved from right back to the heart of the defence, and eight years more experience with little loss of speed has turned the 34-year-old into one of the best defenders of the tournament.
Patrick Vieira, who just turned 30, has gone from a late substitute in 1998 to a dominating force in defensive midfield, applying the crunching tackle like few can.
And Zinedine Zidane's role needs little explanation. The 34-year-old playmaker scored two of the three goals to beat Brazil at Stade de France for the '98 crown and he hopes to cap the last game of his career with another title.
"There was this amazing thing in 1998 and another one now," Domenech said. "But it is different."
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Leadership was not their part then. That was left to central defender Marcel Desailly and captain Didier Deschamps.
Now, the four inspire by just being there, by the aura they carry.
"They have done something special ever since they arrived. They do it naturally," Domenech said. "Sometimes words serve no purpose, their presence is enough. They reassure. There is no need to explain such things."
The question, though, is whether they still have the wind to carry them all the way to the trophy.
It will be France's seventh high-pressure game in a month, and in the closing stages of the 1-0 semifinal win over Portugal, some of the players looked on the verge of cracking.
"We did all we could to have the players recover," Domenech said.
The French veterans had one day less to recuperate than the Italians, who beat Germany on Tuesday.
Whether France will win again, though, will also depend on if the supporting cast is as good as the one at Stade de France.
Thierry Henry is certainly better than Stephane Guivarc'h, the lone striker that night. Henry already has scored three times, even though he still has to live up to his potential as the classiest striker in Europe.
On top of the goals, he also had the clever move to force the decisive penalty against Portugal on Wednesday. Zidane coolly converted it as their partnership set France apart.
"The more they played together, the more understanding increases, and becomes more effective," Domenech said.
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