As the France players patted themselves on the back at the end of the 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands in September 2005, Raymond Domenech was all smiles, informing French television that Les Bleus “continue to improve” and explaining why this performance was “encouraging for the future”. Right-back Willy Sagnol had other ideas, storming off the Stade Félix-Bollaert pitch immediately after the final whistle.

"There’s nothing to say and nothing positive to take away," the outspoken defender was soon telling journalists. "We thought too highly of ourselves. None of the big clubs would have approached the game the way we did.

"We played too predictably and our defensive positioning was bad. Everyone was looking to do their own thing and that's not going to get us very far. We have to talk to each other, and remember what our priorities are because we've forgotten them.”

It was an extraordinary outburst from Sagnol, coming just moments after the most handsome win in France’s troubled World Cup campaign and only four days before the crunch showdown against the Republic of Ireland.

The St Etienne-born player took many by surprise, though most of his teammates merely shrugged off the attack with a smile. “It was vintage Willy,” joked Thierry Henry a few days later. “He speaks his mind and that’s a good quality, even if I wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about.”

Sagnol has never been backwards in coming forwards, but his intentions are usually honourable. As one of the most experienced players in the French side, the former Monaco full back believes he has plenty to offer his younger colleagues, and his strong desire to see Les Bleus return to the top of the world game is generally the motivating factor behind his criticisms.

Having made his debut for Les Verts in 1997, Sagnol spent two seasons at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard before he was snapped up by Monaco.

A young defender full of attacking energy, he helped the principality side win the Ligue 1 title in 1999-2000 and made the next step in his career by signing for Bayern Munich that summer. Bayern’s two flying French full backs, Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu, played a key role in the club’s success over the next few years.

Sagnol's tactical understanding, defensive positioning and ability to raid forward and deliver telling crosses made him a key figure under Ottmar Hitzfeld. Three Bundesliga titles, two German Cup wins and, of course, the Champions’ League success against Valencia in 2001 left Sagnol with an impressive medal haul. Sagnol was rumoured to be on his way out when Hitzfeld left in 2004, but he forged another good relationship with his successor Felix Magath.

He was rated so highly by Magath and Bayern's director of football Uli Hoeness that the club were lining the Frenchman up as their future captain when Olivier Kahn retired and Michael Ballack left. However, Sagnol called their bluff by refusing to extend his contract, which expires in 2006, announcing that he was ready for a new challenge elsewhere.

Sagnol's success in Bavaria was not initially transferred to the international stage. With Lilian Thuram widely regarded as the best right-back in the world, Sagnol was limited to a bit-part role with Les Bleus. He made his debut coming off the bench in a 4-0 win over Turkey in November 2000, before continuing to make intermittent substitute appearances for most of the next four years.

At Euro 2004, Sagnol’s first major tournament, he came on against England and against Croatia, then played all 90 minutes against Switzerland. However, it is under Domenech that he has finally established himself in the team. Competing with Jonathan Zebina and Anthony Réveillère for the right-back spot, Sagnol has emerged as the leading candidate.