With the retirement of goalkeeper Hugo Llorís from the international scene, Antoine Griezmann appeared last Monday at the French federation facilities, in Clairefontaine, convinced that he would captain his team at least until Euro 2026. He had been coveting the bracelet for some time.
He felt he was the man closest to French coach Didider Deschamps until the latter told him that the first leader of
Les Bleus
would be Kylian Mbappé.
Griezmann could not hide his deep disappointment with the decision made by Deschamps and he made the coach see it that way.
At 32 years old he considered it a discount to his stripes and his merits.
Griezmann was not only the leader of the team that won the 2018 World Cup, he was also a staunch defender of Deschamps and his conservative style.
Griezmann assimilated France's game to Atlético's and praised Deschamps in front of critics.
That has not earned him to reach the captaincy.
He was also not the best player for France in the last World Cup in Qatar.
He only failed in the final with a performance below what he had shown during the championship.
Sources close to the dressing room of the French team assure that, halfway through the decisive match against Argentina,
Mbappé began to earn the captaincy that he debuted on Friday against the Netherlands (4-0).
His harangue in the locker room at the Lusail stadium, standing, shirtless, with the entire locker room in silence and touched by the 2-0 against, including the coach, closed the door of the captaincy.
“It's a World Cup final, huh... It's a once-in-a-lifetime match.
You can not do worse!
What is done is already done;
They scored two goals against us, but we can come back. This only happens every four years!" Mbappé exclaimed.
His two goals forced overtime and penalties.
His performance shaped his speech in the dugout and was another sign for Deschamps.
“It's a World Cup final, huh... It's a once-in-a-lifetime match.
You can not do worse!
What is done is already done;
They scored two goals against us, but we can come back. This only happens every four years!" Mbappé exclaimed.
His two goals forced overtime and penalties.
His performance shaped his speech in the dugout and was another sign for Deschamps.
“It's a World Cup final, huh... It's a once-in-a-lifetime match.
You can not do worse!
What is done is already done;
They scored two goals against us, but we can come back. This only happens every four years!" Mbappé exclaimed.
His two goals forced overtime and penalties.
His performance shaped his speech in the dugout and was another sign for Deschamps.
The vision of the future and the national and international dimension of Mbappé have also weighed heavily in the decision of the French coach.
The PSG star is the symbol that the federation and French football try to exploit.
The sports and marketing aspirations of an institution that seeks to regenerate itself after the departure of its previous president, Nöel Le Graët, are structured around him.
The leader's resignation came after having belittled the figure of Zinedine Zidane, but barely two weeks after the publication of a devastating audit in which his centralist management of power was denounced.
The Paris prosecutor's office is also investigating him for moral and sexual harassment.
Le Graët's relationship with Mbappé had deteriorated because he did not accept some of the sponsorships of the French federation.
The choice of Mbappé as captain and the downgrading of Griezmann to his second has also created an intense debate in France.
“It's a very good idea by Didier Deschamps.
By giving him the responsibility of the captaincy, he allows Kylian, if necessary, to go even further, higher, stronger ”, warned Michel Platini.
“Being captain means thinking about the team.
This can allow you to advance in that idea, which is not earned without having good partners, cheerful, committed and reliable companions.
The captain is the one who must gather the troops, who must take the others with him.
Kylian is not afraid of responsibility, I think he is ready to take on this role and he has enough energy to do it without affecting his individual performance”, defended the former international Bixente Lizarazu.
Among the critics of Deschamps for his decision is Robert Pires.
"It is a lack of respect for Griezmann, because he has been in the national team for 10 years and when we need him he is doing very well.
He should have worn it for at least the next two years.
For me, Antoine was the most logical decision for the captaincy," said the former Arsenal and Villarreal player on the <CF1000>a Cadena SER.</CF>
“I don't want to be a captain who leads.
You have to think about the team before everything.
We have many important players within the French team.
The goal of being a captain is not to close the doors to other players to speak.
I am the link between the new generation and the old one”, warned Mbappé in an interview for
Telefoot.
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