L’Equipe are famously discerning with their participant scores, with Lionel Messi and Neymar amongst solely a handful of gamers in soccer historical past to obtain their legendary 10/10.
However getting a 0/10 is more durable than you may suppose. Actually, it’s an unwelcome distinction that just one footballer has ever been given by the long-running French sports activities paper.
A participant can evidently have an absolute shocker on the pitch, producing an all-time stinker of a efficiency, and so they’ll normally not less than be awarded a one or a two.
For instance, within the 2025 Champions League ultimate, hapless wingback Federico Dimarco obtained a 1/10 for his position in Inter’s 5-0 humiliation by the hands of PSG. Seven different starters obtained a 2/10.
Plainly a zero is reserved for one thing that goes past only a unhealthy efficiency – an ethical failing.
For instance, final season Lyon supervisor Paolo Fonseca grew to become solely the second individual to obtain the rating.
That was as a result of he butted heads and screamed within the face of a match official who had awarded a VAR-assisted late penalty towards his group – an incident that additionally earned the Portuguese coach a near-unprecedented nine-month touchline ban.
Brazilian midfielder Wendel was the one participant to obtain the rating, manner again in 2008.
Wendel spent his prime years at Bordeaux within the late 2000s. He revamped 200 appearances for the membership, recurrently contributed targets and assists, and was a key a part of the facet that received the Ligue 1 title beneath Laurent Blanc.
He wasn’t an particularly soiled participant, having obtained only one pink card in his six-year stint with Les Girondins, nevertheless it was a doozy.
Certainly one of three gamers despatched off in a spectacularly ill-tempered conflict with Grenoble in September 2008, Wendel’s problem on Albert Baning was particularly vicious – incomes him a straight pink card, a three-match ban and a 0/10 from L’Equipe.
We should admit, we have been anticipating worse once we seemed up the clip. It’s a horror problem, little question, actually worthy of a pink.
However is it singularly value singling out previously 40 years of soccer? We’re not so positive. It seems that earlier indiscretions factored into their considering.
“What’s occurring to the Brazilian policeman?” wrote L’Equipe reporter Bernard Lions in his match scores.
A slight apart, that’s a Google translation from the unique French (“policé brésilien“).
We’ve finished some digging for that specific phrase and have come up brief. We are able to solely assume that it’s a very peculiar French soccer idiom, which means one thing like ‘enforcer’.
(Any French soccer specialists – get in contact as we’d like to get a definitive reply on this one.)
“Shining final 12 months, he’s a mere shadow of his former self this season,” Lions continued.
“After unintentionally however severely injuring Nantes’ Abdoun on August 24 (2-0), he was responsible yesterday of a really nasty sort out on Baning’s knee, leading to a straight pink card (53rd minute). Unacceptable.”
So, there you’ve gotten it.
You’ll be able to produce an absolute disasterclass. Put a pair into your individual internet or miss a succession of open-goal sitters and L’Equipe will not less than reward your efforts with a rating.
However put in a harmful leg-breaker and also you’re getting a zero.
Honest sufficient. Can’t fault the logic.
By Nestor Watach
READ NEXT: Ademola Lookman & the 14 different gamers awarded an ideal 10/10 by L’Equipe
