Editing Marcel Desailly (section)

==International career==
During an interview in Ghana, Desailly stated that he "did not have much choice about which country to play for," as he was "already established in the French national youth football team."<ref>{{cite web |title=I had no choice - Marcel Desailly on why he played for France |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/I-had-no-choice-Marcel-Desailly-on-why-he-played-for-France-995257 |website=ghanaweb.com |publisher=GhanaWeb |access-date=1 July 2020 |date=1 July 2020 |quote=I didn’t really have the choice, I was inside the system and (at) Under-13 I was already playing for France National team.}}</ref> This stance was restated in his autobiography, published in 2002. He made his international debut in 1993, but was not established as a first choice defender until 1996.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

He was an important part of the French team which won the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], albeit being sent off in the [[1998 FIFA World Cup Final|final match]], being the only player on the winning team to be dismissed in a World Cup final. Like other team members, he was appointed a [[Knight of the Legion of Honour]] in 1998.<ref name="Legion">{{cite journal |date=25 July 1998 |title=Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel |trans-title=Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000000374701 |journal=Journal officiel de la République française |trans-journal=Official Journal of the French Republic |volume=1998 |issue=170 |id=PREX9801916D |access-date=2 January 2021 |language=fr}}</ref>

Two years later, success continued as France won [[UEFA Euro 2000]]. After the tournament, Desailly was made captain of the national team, following the retirement of [[Didier Deschamps]]. In 2001, he led France to victory in the [[2001 FIFA Confederations Cup|Confederations Cup]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

In April 2003, Desailly surpassed the record for the number of appearances for the French team, a number which eventually reached 116 when he announced his retirement from international football following [[UEFA Euro 2004 knockout stage|2004 UEFA European Football Championship]]. However, that record was broken during the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] by [[Lilian Thuram]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}