The 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship wins receded further into the distance when they lost to a Greek team that out-fought and out-thought them in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals on Friday, shackling two of the world's top players, Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, in the process.
For many of the French squad the 1-0 loss, the biggest upset in the 44-year history of the competition, will mark the end of their international careers, with the average age of the team that faced Greece over 30.
Marcel Desailly, who has a French record of 116 caps, is retiring from internationals, while the likes of defenders Bixente Lizarazu and Lilian Thuram and goalkeeper Fabien Barthez are all the wrong side of 30 and are unlikely to play for their country again.
The 32-year-old Zidane, World Player of the Year, is also nearer the end of his career than the beginning, and while it is dangerous to write off one of the game's greats, his poor showing against Greece was a surprise. Time catches up with even great players, and Zidane looked tired.
So did Henry, one of Europe's most lethal marksmen. A long club season and an average tournament appeared to have sapped his energy.
Henry will certainly enjoy other good days and will soon be among the more senior players in a new French side which must emerge.
A new crop of players are ready and waiting, but it will take time for them to become the kind of outstanding team France have had for so long.
France are entering a period of transition which will start under a new coach, probably Jean Tigana, a member of the first great French side which won the 1984 European Championship as the host nation. He has much work to do.
STEADIED SHIP
Jacques Santini, who announced before the tournament he was quitting to take over as manager of English premier league Tottenham Hotspur, steadied the French ship after it hit the World Cup rocks under Roger Lemerre two years ago.
He steered them through their Euro 2004 qualifying group with an unblemished record of eight successive wins and a goal tally of 29-2.
They regained self-esteem after the World Cup by winning last year's Confederations Cup and went for almost a year without conceding a goal in 10 matches. The defeat by Greece was their first in 21 games.
But while the statistics were impressive, some of the play was not.
The defence was creaking and Desailly, once such a cornerstone, shattered like a twig in the breeze against Croatia in the opening round at Euro 2004.
France were largely outplayed in their first match when they trailed England 1-0 going into stoppage time. Two goals from Zidane gave them a memorable victory but England had the better of the play for long periods.
Croatia nearly beat France in the second match before drawing 2-2, while Switzerland held France before Henry's two late strikes sealed a 3-1 win.
They fully expected to beat Greece too, but never played well apart from a brief spell late in the match as they became the victims of the biggest ever upset at the European Championship.
While Greece eye what would be remarkable place in the final, France are heading back to the land of the Eiffel Tower.
The French are no longer at the top looking down on the rest of the football world, however, the time for re-building has come.
