From the story of the captain’s armband
Arriving at Clairefontaine headquarters last Monday afternoon to join the French team, Griezmann showed a very happy smile with eye-catching pink hair, attracting attention along the corridor of the castle area where the players were. shirt in. Shortly after dinner, the hair remained the same, but the smile was more reserved.
Because Grizou has just been directly informed by coach Deschamps that he will not be the future captain of the French team. The 54-year-old military leader prioritizes Mbappe to replace Hugo Lloris but wants to appoint him as vice-captain. He nodded, said nothing more and went to the training ground as usual.
Of course, this is not what he wants to hear from the coach who himself always considers him as a second father. Therefore, despite being stunned when he heard this announcement directly, Griezmann still tried to hide his disappointment in front of Deschamps, acting as normal as “Mbappe is the new captain of Les Bleus that did not affect the spirit of the team.” me” (according to L’Equipe daily).
According to the French press, since Lloris and Raphael Varane (the former vice captain of Les Bleus) officially retired from the French national team after the 2022 World Cup, Griezmann thinks a little more about his real chances of becoming captain. new of the Gaulois Rooster. After wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in September 2022 against Denmark (which both Lloris and Varane missed), Grizou thought his choice was natural.
32 years old, seasoned in battle, always a key player, is finding his best form at the club, and at the same time is a “special god” under Deschamps’ reign and is ready to declare: “I am give everything for France and for Deschamps” when Zinedine Zidane’s name appeared as a leading candidate for the position of France coach in December in Doha.
Coming to a new chapter in the never ending drama
Although Deschamps publicly at Monday’s press conference about the selection of the captain is not a sensitive topic, for those involved there is still a bit of “thrill, anxiety and anticipation.” “. And especially for Griezmann, who thought he would come to EURO 2024 as captain of France.
On the eve of the age of 32 (Griezmann was born on March 21, 1991), Grizou would have liked another birthday treat. Therefore, even though his teammates celebrated his birthday at Clairefontaine, G7’s sad and vague eyes still made people realize the disappointment in it.
Coach Deschamps immediately borrowed the Playstation game, which was enjoyed by both Grizou and Kyky, to relieve the tense atmosphere for both sides. Now it can only be certain that Griezmann will play for France in the next two matches. It is not certain whether he will still be with France until EURO 2024, or a decision to retire will come very soon after this series of matches. Because people of his generation like Varane, Lloris and Steve Mandanda have all parted ways with France, while close friend Paul Pogba still does not know when he will return to the blue shirt team.
There are still a number of players with similar interests to Griezmann on the national team. But the landscape is changing very quickly. Les Bleus is having a new wave with lots of young faces. Perhaps, the blue shirt team also needs a new leader, a new captain in the long run. And so, in the coming days, the G7 will think about the rest of its future at Les Bleus.
By the way, let’s talk about the tradition of fighting in the French national team for many years. From the 2010 Knysna affair in South Africa, to Samir Nasri’s media conflict at EURO 2012 to Karim Benzema’s drama and now around Mbappe’s captaincy. With many supporters, the captaincy was given by Deschamps to the right person at the right time. As the French military leader emphasized: “Kylian meets all the criteria to take on this responsibility. Both on the pitch and in the dressing room he is excellent, consistent.”
Many former players and legends of Les Bleus, including Bixente Lazarazu or Michel Platini, also think that the captain’s armband will help Mbappe grow up and become a true leader for France in the next major tournaments. according to. Meanwhile, for those wishing to see Griezmann wear the captain’s armband, Mbappe is too young to replace Lloris.
Moreover, with the overwhelming power from the club to the national team, Mbappe’s influence is starting to cause disturbances and divide the thoughts of the fans of the French team. Perhaps, this is just the beginning of a new chapter in the never-ending drama of the blue shirt team.
