World Cup Stories: France-2

With only days to go before the 1998 World Cup, the French Manager Aime Jacquet is a man under pressure. Attacked from all sides, Jacquet has the job of rewriting French football history. But few believed he was the man for the job. Nobody believed in the French team, nobody, I'd mean it, I went through hell from critics but also even from the public. Never a quiet day, because often, I was getting it from all sides. As the World Cup approached, the national sports paper Lequipe claimed that Jacquet was ill-prepared to lead the national side. In some ways, Jacquet’s philosophy and this is why they took it to against him was hard work, defence, possession, and safety. But I think as a manager there was a lot more to him than his critics allowed.

But Lequipe's criticism became personal. And He was vilified less for his technical ability than for his social background.

They said he was somebody from ...er...middle of France, he didn’t deserve to be the leader for the national team. That, he came from the backwoods. So what, you have to come from high school to direct a football team.

Jacquet had a vision for the French team which emphasized teamwork above all else.

But his masterplan also included a leading role for the mercurial² mid-fielder Zinedine Zidane.

Zidane was out of the ordinary, exceptional³, but he didn’t have his influence yet. He hadn't yet got his personal aura. He played football to enjoy himself. He had exceptional skills. Though he wasn’t much of a team player. But when he came into the French squad⁴, he joined other talents who took him onto an international level.

What he can do will be so witching, you know, some people even, can't even do it with dance, he knows, it is just magical, you know, sometimes when he plays with the ball, it seems, like he is dancing.

And the Zidane magic was evident from an early age when he could be seen playing outside his high-rise flat in his hometown of Marseilles.

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vilify: v. 诽谤， 辱骂
mercurial: adj. 活泼的，机智的
aura: n. 光环
exceptional: adj. 杰出的，非凡的

1 vilified   

v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was vilified in newspapers. 他在报纸上受到了诽谤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was vilified by the press for her controversial views. 因她持有异议，新闻界对她横加挞伐。 来自互联网

2 mercurial   

adj.善变的，活泼的

参考例句：

• He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.他是个反复无常的人，因此对他的行为无法预言。
• Our desires and aversions are mercurial rulers.我们的欲望与嫌恶是变化无常的统治者。

3 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。

4 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。