Be careful, one brother can hide another. We all know Lucas Hernandez (23), the 2018 world champion who arrived this season at Bayern Munich. His younger brother Theo, a year and a half younger, is also starting to be talked about. Landed last summer at AC Milan, he has had, for the moment, a breathtaking season with, in the end, the place of top scorer of his team with 6 achievements in all competitions!
“He is a competitor, a warrior and a physically complete athlete, enumerates Ludovic Batelli, his coach in the French Team from under 18 to under 20 years old. He loves to attack and counter-attack. He has a very good left foot to center or hit the goal. He is a versatile defender in all systems. He already has an international level, but he will still learn tactically in Italy. No doubt he was not ready to go to Real so soon… ”
"I feel Theo fulfilled"
After twelve seasons in Spain, the left-back of the Merengues - trained by the neighbor of Atlético de Madrid and very much in demand during the off-season - finally opted for AC Milan. The Lombard club paid 20 million euros. Close to the Spanish Samu Castillejo since his transfer, Theo feels very comfortable in a more family group than in Real Madrid. He also begins to manage in Italian by taking regular lessons.
Separated from his girlfriend, the Marseille native lives alone surrounded by his dogs in a house far from the center of Milan. The two Hernandez brothers saw each other again at Christmas with their maternal grandparents. Very close, they call each other every day. "I feel Theo fulfilled, more liberated than in Real Madrid, says his mother Laurence Py. He has a healthy and balanced life. This translates into the field. He has matured and has passed a milestone. "
A few months before Euro 2020, could he find in selection his big brother Lucas who plays in the same position as him with the Blues? Theo Hernandez presents a contrasting adventure with the Tricolores in the youth categories. "He had a dazzling tournament in Korea with the U18s in 2015. He was bringing a lot of things down the hall," recalls Batelli. He was to participate in the Euro (Editor's note: won by France led by Mbappé) , but Diego Simeone, his coach at Atlético, retained him. The following year, he did not compete in the U19 World Cup because his club Alavés, which was in the King's Cup final, did not release him. "
A passive with the Hopes
In June 2017, Theo was called by Sylvain Ripoll to join Les Espoirs. He decides not to go and even appears on vacation on Instagram. “I made a youthful mistake. But it was not clear either at all levels, had recognized the interested in the columns of the Team. We will also say that I was not pushed to go there, maybe some people may have hoped that I would choose Spain. "
“The French team, he thinks about it a lot. He would very much like to find his brother there. Even if there is competition at her post, ”says her mother. Observed by the Blues staff, he still needs to work and progress in particular defensively where he has gaps. Currently, there are four players installed in front of him at his post (Editor's note: Lucas Hernandez, Lucas Digne, Benjamin Mendy and Ferland Mendy) but you never know.
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"Ultimately, he can join the French Team, but he has family competition to manage first," said Ludovic Batelli. Lucas is slender and swift while Theo is massive and robust. At some point, a door will open. It will be up to him to seize the opportunity. "