The FIFA Podcast catches up with 1998 World Cup winner Christian Karembeu
He reveals the personal thread between two huge France v Brazil games
Watch the full interview on the FIFA Podcast
Football truly is a universal game. Jut ask Christian Karembeu who, as the latest guest on , explains how the global reach of the FIFA World Cup™ extended as far as the southwest Pacific territory of New Caledonia during the Mexico 1986 tournament.
It was then that the 15-year-old Karembeu sat entranced by a contest which, to this day, remains his favourite World Cup match: France’s quarter-final against Brazil. “Brazil v France in Mexico – it finished with penalty kicks,” he tells podcast presenter Mikael Silvestre. “For me, it was fantastic, like a final. There are more beautiful games, but this one impacted me when I was a kid.”
Karembeu, now 55, remembers competing for space in front of the communal TV set in his native New Caledonia to follow the fortunes of Michel Platini and Co. As he describes to Silvestre, he watched the action not just with his family but with “the tribe”, saying: “In New Caledonia [back then] there’s one TV, and I was behind because we need to give the floor to our guests. So all of them were in front of me. I was just looking like this… ‘Who’s scoring?’, ‘Who is doing this?’. Fantastic memories.”
With New Caledonia being a French Overseas Territory, the tournament captured the wider public imagination. “We all woke up – at two or three in the morning – when France were playing,” recalls Karembeu. “All the villages, all the tribes, all the cities were watching the game.”
How remarkable then to think that this star-struck kid from the South Pacific went on to appear for France against Brazil in a World Cup ‘final’: the 1998 global showpiece match, won 3-0 by Les Bleus. Only this time, the congestion took place in the midfield areas where the now Real Madrid man vied for supremacy with the likes of Dunga, Leonardo and Rivaldo.
And just as the World Cup succeeds in bringing people together across vast divides, so it inspired a wave of unity through France, according to Karembeu. “Listen, I think it was a beautiful moment for France, for our team-mates and for the history of the national team. Indeed, it was a great celebration with our diversity in our [society].”
The FIFA Podcast takes fans to the heart of FIFA World Cup 2026™ with exclusive access, expert analysis and unforgettable stories from across Canada, Mexico and USA. Hosted by Christian Vieri and Mikael Silvestre, the show features FIFA legends, current football stars and celebrity guests reflecting on the tournament’s biggest moments. From match reactions and behind-the-scenes insights to unique World Cup memories, each episode offers a fresh perspective on the beautiful game. .
Sources: FIFA Official
