Euro 1984: The Magic of Michel Platini
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 25 June 2024
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.
In this week’s episode, on its 40th Anniversary, we dive into Euro 1984, a tournament that marked a pivotal moment in French football history as they lifted a major tournament trophy for the first time.
Journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper delve into the impact of Michel Platini, whose footballing prowess and leadership played a crucial role in guiding France to victory on their home turf. They also analyse how the tournament shaped European football and paved the way for future international competitions.
Jonathan and Rob provide a detailed analysis of the group stages, revisit the historic knockout stage clashes, including the semi-final regarded as the Euro’s greatest ever match between France and Portugal, which culminated in France’s triumphant 2-0 final win over Spain.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | He communicated that thirst for victory to us because at Juventis, they had to win. In Italy, it's a victory that counts. |
| 0:16.1 | If you play well, so much the better, but it's a winning that counts. It was important that he went over there |
| 0:22.2 | to Italy. He could tell us we were playing well, that we weren't far away, but that now |
| 0:26.5 | it was time to win. Well, Jonathan, that was Maxine Boxes, the France International, talking |
| 0:35.5 | about the influence of the great Michel Platini on the |
| 0:38.8 | France national team, Platini having moved to serial winners Juventus in Italy in 1982, |
| 0:44.4 | probably, I guess, the second best player in the world at this point behind Diego Maradona |
| 0:48.8 | and the player who brings to France a winning mentality. |
| 0:52.8 | And it's a team of Platonium bosses that we're examining |
| 0:55.5 | today because Jonathan, the Euros are upon us, are they not? Fantastic summer of football is getting |
| 1:00.4 | underway. But I ask myself, can this ever match perhaps the greatest Euros ever? Possibly the most |
| 1:07.3 | romantic champions of all time. It's a 40th anniversary of that tournament. |
| 1:11.8 | So it's a very apt time to look back at it. |
| 1:14.1 | And we're, of course, talking about Euro 84 in France. |
| 1:17.6 | One by France was one of the greatest midfields ever seen. |
| 1:21.1 | La Carre Magique, the Magic Square. |
| 1:24.3 | And that's why we're going to be looking back at this extraordinary team. |
| 1:27.1 | And I think also Euro's cemented this tournament as a really major championship. |
| 1:32.1 | So rival almost to the World Cup, nothing can quite rival the World Cup, |
| 1:36.9 | but it really put it up there because previously the Euros hadn't been considered so seriously. |
| 1:43.4 | But although it's a brilliant |
| 1:45.1 | tournament in British eyes, probably not so much, because no British team qualified. And in fact, |
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