Who will wear the captain’s armband of the France team around their arm on Friday March 24, at the Stade de France, for the reception of the Netherlands? The decision of Didier Deschamps still has a few long weeks to mature, to be made and to be announced but in any case, it is one of the questions that the 70 million French coaches have undoubtedly all asked themselves at the announcement. of the international retirement of Hugo Lloris.
Captain without interruption since 2010, more than 12 years wearing the armband with the Blues, the freshly retired international gave a great interview this Sunday morning to Téléfoot, who looked back at length on his career in the Blues and in particular on this captain’s armband. “We can only be grateful for the choice of the coach at the time, Laurent Blanc, he rewinds. And believe me that armband, it has weight! (laughs) Very big players have worn it. »
And on the question of his successor? Like many, Hugo Lloris has an idea, and two natural candidates emerge. “A player like Raphaël Varane can claim this captaincy,” he believes first. An experienced player, at 29, and the third most capped (97) still active behind Giroud (120) and Griezmann (117).
But another candidate is also clearly identified: “There is a player who is gaining momentum, at all levels. On the pitch, off the pitch, even in terms of group and locker room life, it’s Kylian Mbappé. He started to take on a new role within the team, and I think we need that in a collective. At 24, the Parisian has shown that he is a leader both on and off the pitch. “Whatever the choice, we will be fully behind,” concludes Lloris.