The bus parks at 9:15 p.m. in front of the Crillon.
The players always lug their suitcases before inviting themselves into the hotel.
Fans feel it, cell phones are already out while the silhouettes of players loom in the windows.
If he is about to show himself, Didier Deschamps nevertheless seems exhausted at the microphone of LCI.
“It is our duty with the players to thank these French men and women who supported us, who gave a lot of strength to this France group, explained the coach.
The last note is cruel but we must not forget what we have done.
»
He appears first with Hugo Lloris on the balcony of the hotel in front of 50,000 people, according to the prefecture.
If the duo is joined by the entire workforce, Le Graët remains invisible.
The public waved tricolor flags, the Blues waved their arms, to worry about tendonitis.
The smiles but above all the astonishment are not long in appearing on the faces, vis-a-vis this human tide.
“We don't see the supporters directly, the closer we get, the more we discover and it's amazement, it's magnificent and it warms the heart”, confirms Marcus Thuram.
"Kylian, Kylian", go up from the public below.
The striker clearly wins on the applause meter before the crowd triggers a new clapping, which excites the Blues.
"It's nice to see so many people this evening (Monday), smiles Lloris on LCI.
The most important thing is the recognition of these supporters.
This comforts us a little even if as athletes, we would have liked to win this gold medal.
“About twenty minutes after their appearance, the Blues withdrew.
Packed by the communion, Olivier Giroud already fears the separation with his teammates.
"It's always a pinch in the heart to leave the guys with whom we spent a month and a half, we are like a family, like brothers.
“The top scorer in the history of the Blues is obviously in no hurry to leave his partners.
However, the last 24 hours have been eventful, marked by trying emotions.
Didier Deschamps, the coach of the Blues, and Hugo Lloris, the captain, when they get off the plane at Roissy airport.
The day before, Lloris had walked slowly through the door of the Al Massila hotel.
Flanked by Deschamps, the French goalkeeper leads the tricolor procession, whose gait reflects all the accumulated fatigue.
The applause of the base camp staff, supplemented by that of the families, is more measured than since the start of the competition but they draw shy smiles on the faces of the beaten Blues.
Emmanuel Macron's speech in the locker room did not change anything, the defeat on penalties against Argentina emptied the French of their hopes, leaving them only a cruel feeling of fatality.
Fortunately, the children are there to brighten up the evening.
The two daughters of Lloris embrace their father as soon as he arrives at the hotel.
Alphonse Areola, he carries one of his daughters in his arms in the middle of a parade of suitcases.
The spirits were obviously not at the party, especially since the mockery of the Argentine winners must have reached their ears.
Like the atmosphere in the corridors of the hotel, the social networks of the 24 Blues remained rather silent.
Fake supporters were more talkative.
Some players have been the target of racist insults, such as Kingsley Coman.
Eduardo Camavinga was insulted by ex-Argentine star Sergio Aguëro, tipsy on Instagram.
The night surely passed in slow motion for most of the world vice-champions and the tempo did not pick up the next day.
The Blues abandoned their base camp around noon local time.
During this time, the Ministry of Sports, the FFF and Noël Le Graët engaged in a game of ping-pong through the media interposed about the program of the Tricolores.
A passage through the Place de la Concorde was mentioned on Sunday.
At the microphone of France Inter, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra confirmed the desire of the Blues "to go and thank their supporters" at Concorde.
The president of the "3 F" is quick to deny it on BFM TV.
According to him, the players "are in a hurry to get home", not "in the mood to walk on the Champs or elsewhere".
The French Federation will finally give reason to the Minister of Sports.
Deschamps tipped the scales and put an end to the dithering.
A return flight in a cozy atmosphere
The appointment is made with the French people for 8:30 p.m. at the Hôtel de Crillon but the French team is delayed at the airport.
Scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Doha time, the Air France plane took off only two hours later.
Aircraft departure slots are complicated by heavy air traffic.
It left for six hours of travel in the clouds.
Ibrahima Konaté grabs his phone.
“All great successes have been preceded by several great failures,” tweets the imposing Liverpool defender.
He thus imitates Kylian Mbappé, author of a historic hat-trick in the final and a message of hope on his networks: "We will come back", promised the top scorer of the tournament.
Headphones on, the girls of Areola keep busy with pencils and notebooks.
One of them will offer a photo with Mbappé, as shown in a story from the mother.
Obviously, the speaker is off after spitting out "Freed From Desire" throughout the tricolor epic.
This cozy atmosphere echoes the outward flight on Saturday, where most families had refused Air France champagne, preferring not to get carried away before the final.
The turbulences are not sound but rather digital.
Karim Benzema, package and enigmatic on the networks during the competition, announces his international retirement on his 35th birthday during the flight.
The Blues are back home!
📍🇬🇧#ProudofBleus pic.twitter.com/njL46w1hms
– French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) December 19, 2022
The plane landed at Roissy airport shortly before 8 p.m.
Still behind Captain Lloris, the Blues jump on the tarmac and climb directly into the bus.
The latter starts 40 minutes later, towards the Hôtel de Crillon.
The crowd is already massed.
Clappings
of
impatience and the Gala are already resounding.
“Press the mushroom,” the fans yell at the bus driver from a distance.
Ironic as the speed of the parade on the Champs-Élysées had frustrated the public four years earlier.
The supporters, present for hours on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, woke up when the players arrived.
AFP or licensors
The atmosphere is good-natured, some perch on traffic lights or streetlights, others suffer a little more.
"We're not going to see anything, all that for that," breathes Robin, 21, who arrived at 4:30 p.m. with his father but away from the Crillon by the crowd.
Adam, who came from Montpellier for the occasion, chose to take a step back to avoid being tight.
“We can see a lot better from here,” he promises.
That's good, it's almost 9:40 p.m. and shadows appear on the windows of the Crillon.
