Deschamps joins elite group by winning World Cup as player and manager

Make some room, Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.

By virtue of France's World Cup triumph on Sunday, Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps joined the aforementioned duo as the only men to capture football's greatest prize as both a player and a manager.

The much-maligned Deschamps, 49, captained his country to glory in 1998. Famously derided as a "water carrier" by Eric Cantona, his presence as a hard-working defensive midfielder was crucial in freeing his more illustrious attacking teammates - most notably Zinedine Zidane.

"It is something that few coaches have. He has won with France, he was a great player, a captain, a leader," Paul Pogba said of his bench boss prior to Sunday's win.

Deschamps has long been questioned for his conservative tactics, but none of that matters now as he joins two of the game's greats in reaching the rare milestone.

Brazil's Zagallo won the World Cup as a player in 1958 and 1962, then coached the iconic 1970 Selecao side that is regarded by many as the greatest team in football history.

Legendary defender Beckenbauer, meanwhile, hoisted the coveted trophy as a player in 1974 with West Germany, before assuming control on the touchline for the Germans' victorious 1990 World Cup campaign.