Moving ahead, he took the reins of the women's team until 2012, before leading for two years the clubs' reserves. Even if Dijon was only created in 1998, several players have had the opportunity to play for both clubs. In five seasons and a half, he would feature 143 times for the Burgundy side, scoring 6 goals, before ending his career in 2010. “To leave the champions for the runners-up is not a decline because Lyon are the most regular and the most ambitious club in the French championship.”The moves came with their own unique set of pressures, but France’s two best playmakers would both rise to the challenge.Combining effectively with Brazilian striker Sonny Anderson, Carriere helped Lyon end their long wait for a league title, sealing victory with a dramatic 3-1 win over Lens on the final day of the season.It kicked off a period of dominance that would see Les Gones win seven consecutive league crowns – a spell that may not have been possible without Carriere’s sizeable influence.Zidane, of course, would go one better, bagging the headlines and the limelight after scoring the spectacular winning goal in a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final.Carriere still headed into the summer of 2002 optimistic about his chances of going to the World Cup with France, particularly as Pires was ruled him out of the tournament, but when the squad was announced, his name was the most notable omission.Despite being far and away the best player in Ligue 1 for the past 18 months and impressing as Zidane’s understudy at the Confederations Cup, there was no place for the 29-year-old.What made that a baffling decision was the players Lemerre chose to take in his place: Alain Boghossian, Youri Djorkaeff and Johan Micoud.It wouldn’t have mattered had Zidane played – Micoud, in particular, was only supposed to serve as a Plan B – but when a thigh injury sidelined Zizou for France’s first two group games with First Djorkaeff and then Micoud struggled to fill the void, leaving France in need of a win against Denmark in their final group game, and relying on a half-fit Zidane to rescue them, they lost 2-0.Though Zidane remained at Real Madrid for the remainder of his career, it was never quite as good as that barmy Champions League winner, save for a couple of La Liga titles.And though it would be false to suggest Carriere went into decline after his World Cup snub, he certainly never reached the same heights again.Jacques Santini, the manager who signed him for Lyon, departed that same summer to take up the vacant France job. With 323 games, he is the fourth most-capped player in the history of the club. In the colors of Les Gones, the story is mixed. He has played for France national team. After five seasons in Lyon, he returned to his roots and spent three years in Rennes, before departing to Dijon (2018-2019). In 2016, he set himself a last challenge by joining Dijon. That year, he caught the eye of OL in 2010-2011, who made him their then-most expensive player. He took to the cut and thrust of the French third tier with aplomb, and his attacking talents soon caught the eye of Nantes manager Raynald Denoueix.Denoueix, the coach widely credited with discovering players like Didier Deschamps and Marcel Desailly, liked what he saw and signed Carriere up in the summer of 1996.Juve had beaten Nantes in the semi-finals of the European Cup in the season prior to Zizou and Carriere’s respective arrivals, but while the Bianconeri were going from strength to strength, Les Canaris were struggling to attain the same heights.Carriere initially struggled to make the step up to Ligue 1, with fitness issues seeing him spend much of the 1996-97 campaign learning his craft away from the first team, while the 1997-98 season proved to be one of transition for Nantes, who finished 11th.Denoueix bided his time, though, easing Carriere into first-team life in an approach that eventually paid off with Nantes winning back-to-back Coupe de France titles in 1999 and 2000 along with the Trophée des Champion.By 1999-2000 he was pulling the strings from the midfield, scoring five goals in Ligue 1, providing plenty more assists and dictating play from the middle of the park.That summer Denoueix went in search of a striker that would bring the best out of Carriere.