At Stamford Bridge, he is known as 'The Cool Dude' because of his laconic, laid-back style off the pitch. He has a permanent, engaging smile and is polite to a fault.

Strikers all over Europe may have trouble recognising Marcel Desailly from that description, because once he puts on a blue shirt - of Chelsea or France - there is a dramatic transformation. The smile gives way to a grimace as the competitor emerges and he becomes the colossus in central defence. Sometimes the ball goes past him. Sometimes the man goes past him. But rarely do the two go past together.

It will be that steely quality on which France will be dependent at the King Baudoin Stadium in Brussels tonight when they face Portugal to contest a place in the final of Euro 2000.

To watch and listen to Desailly, however, it would be easy to leave with the impression that the clash is nothing out of the ordinary, certainly not the third semi-final of a major tournament involving France following Euro 96 and the World Cup. Impressions, however, can be misleading.

'The bigger the game, the more important the game, the more I like it,' said the 31-year-old. 'I thrive on the atmosphere of the big occasion.'

That desire to succeed is evident once Desailly enters the fray. He will urge, comfort - whatever is necessary to exact the best from the men around him.

And though France have emerged as favourites for the tournament, Desailly is too wily to assume anything. He is certainly not dismissive of the Portuguese.

'We have to be very careful about Portugal,' he said. 'Over the last few years they have acquired some valuable experience. They can be a big danger to us. But in many ways you cannot compare their squad with the French squad. We have won a major title, Portugal still have to prove something. Although I believe they are a more complete team than Spain. They will be a major threat.'

Desailly never contemplates defeat. The word does not figure in his vocabulary. He went as far as to nominate the team he would like to meet in the final should Luis Figo, Rui Costa and company go the same way as Denmark, the Czech Republic and Spain.

'I would prefer to play Italy. If we played Holland then they would have all the advantages of the home team and we know from our experience in the World Cup how valuable that can be,' he said.

Like everyone else in the Low Countries, Desailly has noted the emergence of Patrick Kluivert as a potent threat and he was impressed with the hat-trick secured by the Dutch striker against Yugoslavia. But Desailly reckons France have their own lethal weapon.

'I am not surprised by what Kluivert did against Yugoslavia,' he said. 'He is a good player. But maybe Thierry Henry can do something for France.'

After two years of qualifying for the finals, battling through the group stage and then the quarter-finals, the final itself is within touching distance. The semi-final is the game every player dreads to lose.

'There are no favourites in these games. Everyone starts level. That includes us.'

But Desailly believes the squad is stronger than two years ago when they won the World Cup. So if Portugal do emerge victorious then they will have overcome a highly talented and motivated team. With a central defender who fears no one.

Not that you would know it by talking to him.