WHERE ARE THEY NOW: England vs. France players from the 2012 Euros, the last major matchup between the soccer powers

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: England vs. France players from the 2012 Euros, the last major matchup between the soccer powers
  • England and France face off in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.
  • The last time the two nations met at a major tournament was at Euro 2012, where the match finished 1-1.
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FRANCE

FRANCE
Getty/Ian Walton

Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris

Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris.Getty/Julian Finney

Lloris is still France's first choice goalkeeper and captain, having started three of its four games so far at the World Cup in Qatar.

He was playing in Ligue 1 for Lyon at the time of Euro 2012, but left the club immediately after the tournament to join Tottenham Hotspur, where he remains today.

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Defender – Philippe Mexès

Defender – Philippe Mexès
Philippe Mexes.Getty/Franck Fife

Best known for his penchant for scoring stunning overhead kicks, Mexès retired from professional soccer in 2016.

Now, he describes himself as a "full-time father."

"I bring my kids to school, to football, I help them with their homework. I wanted to get out and get them out of a certain dimension: I hardly ever saw them before and it was not okay," he told France Football.

Defender – Adil Rami

Defender – Adil Rami
Adil Rami tackles Danny Welbeck.Getty/Julian Finney

Rami hasn't represent France since 2018 but is still playing in Ligue 1 for Troyes, for which he is the captain.

He's made seven appearances this term.

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Defender – Mathieu Debuchy

Defender – Mathieu Debuchy
Mathieu DebuchyGetty/Franck Fife

Like Rami, Debuchy hasn't played for France in a while – his last appearance for the national team came in 2015 – but he is still playing domestically.

Now 37, Debuchy plays for Ligue 2 side Valenciennes.

Defender – Patrice Evra

Defender – Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra.Getty/Ian Walton

Evra was a Manchester United player at the time of Euro 2012. After leaving the club two years later, he enjoyed spells at Juventus, Marseille, and West Ham United before retiring in 2018.

These days, he's a coach at United's academy, a pundit, and, in his spare time, a social media sensation. The Frenchman has 4.4 million likes on his TikTok videos and countless more views.

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Midfielder – Yohan Cabaye

Midfielder – Yohan Cabaye
Scott Parker, Yohan Cabaye.Getty/EMPICS Sport

A Newcastle United player at the time of Euro 2012, Cabeye spent two more seasons on Tyneside after the tournament before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.

Spells at Crystal Palace, Al Nasr, and Saint-Étienne followed before he retired in 2020.

He's now a sporting coordinator at PSG's youth academy.

Midfielder – Alou Diarra

Midfielder – Alou Diarra
Alou Diarra.Getty/Ian Walton

Diarra never played for France again after Euro 2012 but continued to play domestic soccer until 2017.

Today, he's the manager of Troyes' under-19 side.

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Midfielder – Samir Nasri

Midfielder – Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri.Getty/Scott Heavey

France's goalscorer on the day against England, Nasri retired from professional soccer in 2020, having enjoyed stints with Marseille, Arsenal, and Manchester City, among others.

Midfielder – Franck Ribéry

Midfielder – Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribery.Getty/Scott Heavey

A superb talent once dubbed the "jewel of French football" by France icon Zinedine Zidane, Ribéry retired from international soccer in 2014 but continued to play domestically until the end of last season.

He finished his career with Serie A club Salernitana, where he is now a technical collaborator.

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Midfielder – Florent Malouda

Midfielder – Florent Malouda
Florent Malouda.Getty/VI Images

Former Chelsea star Malouda stopped playing for France after Euro 2012 but later represented the country of his birth, French Guiana, in 2017.

He retired a year later to take up a career in coaching, however is currently without a club.

Forward – Karim Benzema

Forward – Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema.Getty/AFP

Benzema did not play for France between 2016 and 2021 after he was arrested by French police for his part in blackmailing France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over the recording of a sex-tape on a mobile phone.

The Real Madrid striker was set to make his major tournament return at the World Cup in Qatar, but he suffered an injury just days before the start of competition.

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ENGLAND

ENGLAND
Getty/Scott Heavey

Goalkeeper – Joe Hart

Goalkeeper – Joe Hart
Joe Hart.Getty/VI Images

Hart, who has kept the second-most clean sheets in England history, was a Manchester City player at the time of Euro 2012.

These days, he's playing his soccer in Scotland for Celtic.

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Defender – Glen Johnson

Defender – Glen Johnson
Glen Johnson.Getty/Scott Heavey

Formerly of Chelsea, West Ham United, Liverpool, and Stoke City, Johnson retired in 2018 with 54 England caps to his name.

Since hanging up his boots, he's continued to run a successful property development business that he set up with his brother during his playing days.

Defender – John Terry

Defender – John Terry
John Terry.Getty/Scott Heavey

Terry, one of England's greatest ever defenders, announced his retirement from international soccer just months after the conclusion of Euro 2012.

He kept playing for his boyhood club Chelsea until 2017 before moving to Aston Villa, where he spent just one season before calling time on his playing career for good.

Now 41, he's currently a coaching consultant at Chelsea's youth academy.

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Defender – Joleon Lescott

Defender – Joleon Lescott
Joleon Lescott.Getty/Julian Finney

Lescott scored the opener for England against France at Euro 2012 with what proved to be his first and only ever international goal.

He retired in 2017 and currently works as a coach with the England U21s.

Defender – Ashley Cole

Defender – Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole.Getty/VI Images

A Chelsea player at the time of Euro 2012, Cole went on to have spells with Italian side AS Roma, Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles Galaxy, and Derby County before retiring in 2019.

He's now a first-team coach at EPL club Everton.

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Midfielder – James Milner

Midfielder – James Milner
James Milner, Patrice Evra.Getty/Scott Heavey

Milner retired from England duty in 2016 and has even refused to make an international return from current manager Gareth Southgate in recent years.

Instead, the 36-year-old is focusing on his domestic career with Liverpool, where he remains a regular feature in Jurgen Klopp's team.

Midfielder – Steven Gerrard

Midfielder – Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard.Getty/Franck Fife

England's fourth most capped player ever with 114, Gerrard retired from international soccer in 2014 and then domestic soccer two years later.

Now a manager, he most recently was in charge of Aston Villa, but was fired from the post in October after a poor start to the season.

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Midfielder – Scott Parker

Midfielder – Scott Parker
Scott Parker.Getty/Julian Finney

Similarly to Gerrard, Parker moved into management after calling time on his playing career in 2017.

Also like Gerrard, he hasn't had much success in the field, having been let go from his only two jobs, first at Fulham and most recently Bournemouth.

Midfielder – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Midfielder – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.Getty/Julian Finney

"The Ox" came off injured against France at Euro 2012 – something that has, sadly, been all too familiar for the midfielder during his career.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been injured for a total of 1,096 matches during his career, with his latest knock having already seen him miss 16 for Liverpool this season.

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Forward – Ashley Young

Forward – Ashley Young
Ashley Young challenges Mathieu Debuchy for the ball.Getty/EMPICS Sport

Young may be a little older now, but the 37-year-old is still going strong on the field. He's the current club captain of Aston Villa.

Forward – Danny Welbeck

Forward – Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck.Getty/Michael Regan

Welbeck, who currently plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, has a good goalscoring record for England. In 42 games for his country, he's found the net an impressive 16 times.

He was included in Gareth Southgate's preliminary squad for the World Cup in Qatar but didn't make the final cut.

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