Eurocup Fans Are Wondering — Why Does Team France Have a Rooster on Their Jersey?

France has been having a tremendous Euro Cup, losing no games so far, so there's a lot that soccer fans from the land of lardo, brie, and cheese can be thankful for to help take their minds off the fact that Paris is literally in flames at the moment.

While the country's national team performs tremendously well, you may have asked yourself: Why do its players have roosters on their jerseys?

TalkSport writes that "During the First World War, the was used as a symbol of France’s resistance and bravery on the battlefield," but the rooster's heritage goes back even further — the ancient Latin name for France was "Gaul," which then led to the people in the area being called "Gallus," and that means Rooster in Latin.

It didn't have positive connotations. But the French throughout history co-opted the name and very much turned it into a "symbol of courage and bravery" by French kings who were probably thinking, "Oh, you think you're gonna make fun of us with a rooster? Watch what these roosters can do."

France has an astounding military record. In fact, it is one of the "most successful militaries in history."

The rooster symbol started to take on political significance during the French Revolution and was co-opted by supporters of the movement and persisted long after that.

As the TalkSport piece writes: "It was seen as a symbol of the people who founded the country and as the republicans rejected a royalist narrative in preference of France’s true roots, the rooster rose to prominence as a symbol to represent the country’s origins."

The Gallus became a symbol of the French people and the state. It was engraved on coins, and today its image is repped on stamps and right on the front of Élysée Palace.

And of course, you'll see it on France's national team jersey.

According to , France has used the rooster in its jersey designs for over 100 years. The team first donned the design in international play when they went up against Belgium in 1909.

Additionally, the website states that the Gallic Rooster doesn't just represent battle prowess, but that the very nature of the bird serves up a powerful metaphor for persistence: the rooster's crow marks each new day.

It also represents the "triumph" of light over darkness, according to Goal, as it signifies the announcing of day replacing night, which can also symbolize good overtaking evil as well.

And here you just thought it was a golden chicken.