The total footballer is technically adept, physically assertive, mentally agile. He has the balance of a ballet dancer, the endurance of a cross country skier and the vigilance of a champion golfer.

He respects his talent, protects it from the temptations of premature fame and absurd wealth. His eagerness to learn underpins a vocational approach to his profession.

Unsurprisingly, the prototypical player of the 21st century is not English. He can be found in his natural environment tonight, when France play Italy in the Euro 2000 final in Rotterdam.

Howard Wilkinson, the FA's technical director, has spent an educational, but uniquely uncomfortable, three weeks at what he acknowledges as 'the greatest tournament I have seen'.

His dossier, a key element of the inquest into England's failure, will advocate nothing less than a cultural revolution in the domestic game. Should it suffer the traditional fate of such missives and be diluted by ignorance and indifference, another generation will be doomed.

The auguries are hardly promising. Kevin Keegan's class of 2000 are derided as dunces. Their natural successors show no sign of absorbing basic lessons of public accountability.

Since the end of the Premiership season, Rio Ferdinand, Kieron Dyer and Frank Lampard have shared a debauched holiday in Cyprus, which was duly plastered over the front pages. Lee Hendrie, Seth Johnson and Matt Jansen were suspended from international selection for three months for drinking during the European Under 21 Championship in Slovakia.

Others may whine about football mirroring enduring social problems, but Wilkinson has the courage to admit: 'It is a problem football has to address. We have got a yob culture.

'What happened in Ayia Napa and Slovakia is indicative of how far we have to go. It cannot be countenanced. We have got to embrace the culture of the thinking athlete totally. At the moment there is a reluctance to take on board the philosophy that a player's body is his temple.

'Players have got to live a life that gives them the best chance to function properly. They would not be where they are if they did not have considerable merits, but they have to ask themselves what tactical and technical things they can add to their game.

'They should report to the training ground with a finely-tuned body, driven by a finely-tuned brain. To improve, they've got to understand the process in which they are involved. There cannot be many afternoons off.

'The Italians are the best exponents of that way of life. They take no chance with their careers. They have got their personal welfare down to the last dot and comma.

'Physically, their output is incredible. They never stop running. They have athleticism, pace and flexibility. It is almost as if they are trained as individual physical specimens, like sprinters. They are self-reliant, and, therefore, reliable.

'They are so disciplined it is as if they are tied together with string. When they come under pressure you can see them still thinking, still concentrating. They are team-minded, tactical masters. They not only change patterns from game to game, but also within games.'

Yet, such is the compelling nature of these championships, Wilkinson still expects those assets to be neutralised by France. He fears Italy's durability should they score an early goal - 'they'll take a striker off, just you watch' - but has faith in France's midfield of Patrick Vieira, Manu Petit, Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps.

'Zidane could be a champion sumo wrestler,' said Wilkinson. 'He has such a wide stance he never gets knocked down. He has a change of pace. He's strong. Giving him the ball is like depositing gold in Fort Knox.

'And I love the way he has carried his greatness. He has got better. He can run like a crab or a gazelle. He uses more areas of his foot than any five good players ever use.'

Such comfort with the ball is the key. Marcel Desailly may be able to sleepwalk through Premiership matches, but at Euro 2000 he has given a true indication of his capacities.

Wilkinson said: 'Centre-backs are often the players who are most frequently available. They have to be able to play without embarrassment, because they get a lot of the ball in tight matches. Their ability to dictate the pace and tempo of the game makes them influential.

'If they can handle the ball, you are on the way to having the sort of teams which made the last four. Good movement demands good understanding.

'We are seeing players who not only understand their responsibilities but know the role of those around them. At this level you have to act before someone tells you to. Otherwise it is too late. In the future total football will be the norm.'

It would be politically imprudent for Wilkinson to answer the questions begged by such observations. Only Steven Gerrard, of the current generation, comes even close to demonstrating the qualities he has isolated.

Clubs have their own agendas. The academies, centrepiece of the FA's long-term strategies, are tainted by the greed and intolerance which shapes the domestic game at the highest level.

Schoolboys, being given contracts worth between £400,000 and £1.5million, are insulated against failure and prey to the leeches of modern society.

On a bigger stage, the strain of expectation is so suffocating that the average lifespan of an international coach is two years. Humberto Coelho and Frank Rijkaard, in charge of beaten semi-finalists, quit before their players were in the showers.

Keegan has offered a hostage to fortune in underlining his insecurity as he enters the World Cup qualifying campaign. His natural successor cannot be found in the system and the contrast with tonight's finalists is damning.

Italy are grooming Marco Tardelli, their Under-21 coach, to replace Dino Zoff. France have long-term plans for the promotion of Deschamps through their coaching structure. England seem content to muddle through.

Wilkinson knows the need for radical change is inescapable. Only time will tell if the players, coaches and administrators understand the importance of his foresight.