Recently, former French National Team captain Hugo Lloris announced his retirement from international duty. Following the French No. 1’s retirement, manager Didier Deschamps had to decide for many competitive individuals. He ultimately decided to hand the role to the prolific forward, Kylian Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe is offically France’s new captain 🇫🇷✨ pic.twitter.com/TJcNToyDPh
— PSG Pictures That Go Hard (@PSGColdPics) March 21, 2023
Didier Deschamps is one of only three men to win the FIFA World Cup both as a player and a manager, the other two being Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) and Mario Zagallo (Brazil). Since replacing Laurent Blanc as manager, the Frenchman has led France to significant victories on the field.
The former French captain guided his country to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2014, the EURO 2016 final in 2016, the World Cup title in 2018, and the 2022 World Cup final. He had to make some difficult calls over the years and was heavily criticized for them by both the media and the players.
Antoine Griezmann is the most recent player to criticize his manager’s decision. He did not hold back in expressing his disappointment at not getting the role himself over Kylian Mbappe.
Lionel Messi Praises PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe’s ‘incredible’ hat-trick in World Cup final.
Griezmann believes he deserves the role more than Kylian Mbappe
According to reports, Griezmann felt he was the deserving one for the role, given his international experience, leadership skills, and loyalty and devotion to the manager. However, in the mind of Deschamps, Mbappe is the more “legitimate” choice given his age, his performances at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and his expected longevity.
Griezmann, following the incident, is reportedly considering retiring from international soccer. It will be a great shame if the 32-year-old does choose to do so, given his form, experience, and constant performance throughout the years.
mbappe this mbappe that, anyone with an ounce of football knowledge knows griezmann deserved the captain band pic.twitter.com/esUaOr1rV1
— ٍ (@grizi7i) March 20, 2023
Griezmann has been a key player for Deschamps ever since his international debut in 2014. He established himself as one of the inevitable players for France through his performance at the international level.
In recent times, Griezmann has been in fine form after returning to Atletico Madrid following a failed spell at FC Barcelona.
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France hasn’t revealed their full roster for the upcoming EURO qualifiers. They’ll be kicking things off against the Netherlands on March 25 in a tough matchup. If Antoine Griezmann decides to not take part, it will be a major disappointment.
