When you see the rooster across the heart of players representing France, you think of some of the greats of the game. Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, Kylian Mbappe. Les Bleus are one of the powers in the world’s game, playing with skill and flare that is a signature of the national team of L’Hexagone and beyond.
And it turns out that when you just put those faces on Les Bleues, the nickname for the French women’s side, you might not be able to tell much of a difference with what happens on the pitch.
Thanks to AI, the gap between the genders might not be as much as you’d think. Watch the whole ad.
Orange’s ad for the French national team ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is genius! pic.twitter.com/5Aiep3hNSf
— Steve Ruigu Njuguna (@Joashnjuguna) July 16, 2023
When you see that’s Sakina Karchaoui instead of Antoine Griezmann, or Estelle Cascarino making Mbappe-style moves in the box, it shows how much the differences between the men’s and women’s games continue to narrow as more women across the planet take up the game.
One of the great moments in American soccer history is the “99’ers” defeating China on penalty kicks in the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final. But with apologies to Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and especially goalkeeper Brianna Scurry (who was great that day), let’s be honest; Watching that 120-minute match back today isn’t exactly a joy. It’s football, but certainly not at the elite level required of today’s players.
That ‘99 team stands as pioneers that every female athlete stands on the shoulders of even today. But they might not even qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup this year because the growth of the game has seen the skill level rise so drastically.
This ad shows how much the gap has drawn nigh, especially for the best teams in the world. So if you love football, don’t miss the next month in Australia and New Zealand.