Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra inspired France's comeback against Belarus this week.
Evra, who was stripped of the captaincy after the 2010 World Cup and was only on the bench, delivered a rousing speech before the French stormed back to win 4-2.
Playmaker Franck Ribery said: "It was a bit of a bizarre match, especially in the first half.
"We had a real talking to from Patrice Evra at half-time which did everyone a lot of good.
"It was a man's speech.
"He told us that if we wanted to make second place, we had to show a different face."
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris also declared: "Patrice Evra and other players spoke.
"Pat is a real leader.
"Even if he was not with us on the pitch, he was with us during a difficult time."
