In the absence of Kylian Mbappé (25), controversially omitted from the France squad, and Antoine Griezmann (33), who announced a shock retirement from international football ahead of the international break, Didier Deschamps had to designate a new captain for the UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium.
Mika Maignan, Ibrahima Konaté and Jules Koundé were all in contention, but ultimately it was Aurélien Tchouaméni who had the honour of wearing the armband in Budapest against Israel on Thursday. However, prior to that match, Deschamps hinted that the captaincy may change hands once again for Monday’s match against Belgium.
“For Monday, we’ll see, and for after that too,” said Deschamps earlier this week in response to the question of the armband. However, having worn it in the 4-1 victory over Israel, Tchouaméni now looks to retain it against Belgium. As a precaution, the Real Madrid midfielder was absent from training on Saturday, but should he be fit enough to start, he will retain the captaincy, it would seem. “If he is feeling well and he plays, he will be the captain,” confirmed Deschamps in an interview with Téléfoot.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
