Since the FIFA World Cup, there has been an unmistakable sense that an era is ending. The international retirements of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane came in the wake of that tournament in Qatar in 2022, whilst Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann have also announced their retirement from international football since Euro 2024.
They were all part of the generation that won the World Cup in Russia in 2018. And with Kylian Mbappé also absent from this current international break, it means that none of the starting XI in France’s World Cup final triumph over Croatia in 2018 are present in the squad, with N’Golo Kanté and Benjamin Pavard also missing out. It truly is the end of an era.
Speaking at a press conference, transcribed by Get French Football News, Aurélien Tchouaméni (24), named as France captain in the absence of Mbappé, conceded that a page was turning in Les Bleus’ decorated history. “Over a period of time, a generation ends, a golden generation that has done so much for Les Bleus,” said the Real Madrid midfielder.
The stand-in captain added, “A new generation is emerging, our generation. We have to win, win titles and write our own history [with France].”
