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 Ribery, Chimbonda in France squad
 Ribery has been the outstanding player in the French league this season. PARIS, France -- France coach Raymond Domenech has included Marseille's Franck Ribery in his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals. Arguably the finest player in Ligue 1 this season, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder is being hailed in France as the new Zinedine Zidane but had so far been overlooked by Domenech. Ribery is one of two uncapped players in the squad, with 27-year-old Wigan defender Pascal Chimbonda the other. "The first criteria was talent but experience in major events was also important," said Domenech. "The current form was not that relevant because we still have three weeks to get ready." France, who struggled to qualify for the June 9-July 9 finals in Germany, will start their campaign by facing Switzerland on June 13 in Stuttgart. South Korea and Togo are also in their group. "Character was also a factor," Domenech added. "There are those who play and those who will be substitutes. Everybody in the group must now swallow their pride." The choice of Chimbonda, who handed in a transfer request moments after Wigan's final game of the season last week and is a target for Tottenham Hotspur, came as a total surprise. Chimbonda left France at the end of last season after being racially abused during his spell at Corscican side Bastia. Up front, alongside France's top two marksmen, Arsenal's Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet of Juventus, Domenech has also picked Louis Saha, who has moved back into the reckoning after some scintillating displays over the past few months. The Manchester United forward has pushed Dutch scoring machine Ruud Van Nistelrooy onto the Old Trafford substitutes' bench. However, Arsenal's Robert Pires and Barcelona's Ludovic Giuly, who face each other in the Champions League final on Wednesday at the Stade de France, both miss out. The 32-year-old Pires, who won the last of his 79 caps for France in October 2004, has had a good season for Arsenal but has had a difficult relationship with Domenech since publicly criticising the coach's tactics. Domenech also confirmed that Fabien Barthez will be his number one goalkeeper ahead of Lyon's Gregory Coupet. Barthez is one of six survivors from France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad with Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira, Zidane, Henry and Trezeguet. Zidane, who came out of retirement last year to help France win their ticket to Germany, will end his prolific career after the World Cup. Squad: Goalkeepers: Fabien Barthez (Marseille), Gregory Coupet (Lyon), Mickael Landreau (Nantes) Defenders: Eric Abidal (Lyon), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle), Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan), William Gallas (Chelsea), Gael Givet (Monaco) Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Mikael Silvestre (Manchester United), Lilian Thuram (Juventus) Midfielders: Vikash Dhorasoo (Paris St Germain), Alou Diarra (Lens), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Juventus), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid). Strikers: Djibril Cisse (Liverpool), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Marseille), Louis Saha (Manchester United), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Lyon). 
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