Candela: "I argued with everyone, but especially with Zeman. Totti deserved the Ballon d'Or, but..."

Vincent Candela played rugby as a boy. "For five years, when I was in the youth team at Toulouse, which is the rugby city of France. I'd go to training with my rugby friends and play football in the meantime. No other sport teaches you that kind of brotherhood, that team spirit, that sense of community: these are lessons I've taken with me."

"For the national team, I was Lizarazu's backup for eight years, but I always felt important. So at Roma, I considered my teammates who perhaps didn't play much, like Di Francesco, Rinaldi, Mangone, Nakata, and Lupatelli in the Scudetto year, to be crucial."

"I'm originally from Occitania, in the south of France. My mother worked in a pastry shop, my father was a warehouse worker. She's of Italian descent, with the last name Merino. He, on the other hand, has Spanish ancestry. It was my dad who taught me to play football. I supported Olympique Marseille; my idols were Bolì and Chris Waddle. Until I was eleven, I played centre-forward, scoring loads of goals, then they moved me to midfield and finally to full-back... (laughs) That's where the less talented players end up."

At twenty-four he was at Roma.

"The team of my life. I spent eight seasons there, the best. I stayed in Rome to live, my children, two boys and two girls, were born here. I've been in Rome for thirty years now, and now that I think about it, I've spent more time in Italy than in France."

You played with Totti and Zidane, the two most extraordinary number 10s of their era. Photograph them.

"First things first: they are two friends. Francesco had an astonishing speed of thought, a gift from God. We understood each other instantly: even before the ball reached him, I knew from his body posture where he was going to kick it. Perhaps he deserved the Ballon d'Or at the beginning of 2000, between the European Championship with Italy—which they lost to us in the final—and the Scudetto with Roma. He kicked with unparalleled ease and scored a lot, more than Zidane. Zizou? It was football. I think he was the most elegant footballer ever seen on the face of the earth. He had the physique of a gladiator, but he moved like a dancer."

She argued with Zeman every other day.

(Laughs) "I argued with everyone, but with Zeman the most. I was young: I didn't understand the stands, the runs without the ball. But I have respect for him, he was a great coach. And he taught me the meaning of sacrifice, discipline."

What was your relationship with Capello like?

"He was a general; at first, all my teammates were scared. We had a lot of arguments with him too, at the beginning. That summer I was about to go to Inter, then I stayed in Rome and together we built a fabulous relationship. I also have fond memories of Galeone and Cosmi, in Udine. And I had a blast during the six months at Bolton, after I left Roma. The coach was Sam Allardyce, what a guy. He told us: 'All I need is for you to train on Thursday, have a final training session on Friday, and a game on Saturday.' It was a real treat. There were Diouf and Fadiga, N'Gotty, and the great Jay Jay Okocha. We finished sixth in the Premier League—not bad, huh?"

The best moment and the regret of his career.

"I started playing football at five years old, dreaming of becoming a master of some sport. I never imagined I'd take the path I did. When I won the World Cup with France in 1998, I felt accomplished. Lifting the World Cup, there, in my country, in front of my people: a dream. My only regret was leaving Roma. I could have thought more clearly, perhaps put my experience to good use. But that's just how I am: I make decisions instinctively and I don't like nuance."

Roma no longer had a full-back pair like Cafu and Candela.

"Two world champions, no easy feat. Cafu was the greatest right-back in recent football history. I wasn't, but I always did my part. When he attacked, Cafu was irresistible; let's just say he sometimes forgot to defend."

Have you ever thought about becoming a coach?

"Too much effort (laughs): that's serious work, it's not for me. Maybe I could work as a third, fourth, or even eighth in a staff, but head coach, no thanks."

You're a guy who laughs a lot, aren't you?

"Yes, it's my way of being in the world. Ten days ago, we were joking in my former national teammates' chat. Thuram wrote: 'Vincent, you're always laughing, but do anyone hate you or are you just likeable to everyone?' I try to be happy, even though, like everyone else, I've had moments of darkness and weakness. When we footballers stop playing competitively, we feel lost; sometimes we don't know what to do anymore. We have a shell, we play a role for so many years. Okay, fine, and then what? These are the questions you have to ask yourself. Once the mask is removed, it's the man behind it that counts."

On his WhatsApp profile, there's this phrase: "I'm on a journey to becoming the best version of myself." Vincent Candela, where are you at on the journey?

"I'll be fifty-two in October, I'm still traveling, and the horizon is far away. You never stop learning. It's the man behind the mask that counts, and I want to learn a little more about myself every day."