What’s it like being a cursed Frenchman?

Whatever metaphorical rollercoaster Mathieu Flamini thought it worth boarding a few weeks ago, it was a very misjudged move, and has now crashed. Today he was cut from France’s final Euro 2008 squad.

At the beginning of the season he was considered a hyperactive midfielder with a good engine but little in the way of genuine flair, yet by the season’s close he was revered as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. The future looked great.