The captain's armband of the France team has rarely seen so many arm changes in such a short time.
Kylian Mbappé, officially named captain since March 2023, is once again not at this gathering of the France team, even though his image has recently been tarnished. This is the second international window in a row where the Blues striker is not in the game.
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The vice-captain, another Real Madrid player, is Aurélien Tchouaméni. But the latter is injured and absent from Didier Deschamps' list for the matches against Israel and Italy on November 14 and 17. So who to wear the captain's armband of this French team, in a troubled period for these Blues?
“Empower other players”
Didier Deschamps, whose hottest subject to deal with concerns the absence of Kylian Mbappé and its consequences, has chosen to make a brave face against bad luck. “It will also allow, through this gathering, to make other players a little more responsible and to maintain a dynamic. »
The most legitimate contenders for what appears to be an interim captain role are known. First N’golo Kanté. He is number three in the hierarchy, behind Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni. He also had the armband during the September rally, in the absence of the two Real players. The defensive midfielder, 33 years old and 63 caps, who today plays for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, showed that he still had the skills to play an important role with these Blues.
Next comes Mike Maignan. In the past, Didier Deschamps has long trusted a goalkeeper (Hugo Lloris) to don this costume. The goalkeeper of AC Milan (a club of which he is sometimes captain), indisputable in Blue, is a leader of this French team group.
Another hypothesis, the Liverpool defender, Ibrahima Konaté. Excellent during his appearances at press conferences, comfortable in the media exercise, he is starting to have a status in this French group. He also regained the armband when Aurélien Tchouaméni was replaced against Israel (N'golo Kanté was absent due to injury).
Jules Koundé is a plausible hypothesis. Excellent sportingly, as evidenced by his three assists in the Champions League with FC Barcelona, Wednesday November 6, the right back is a reliable and charismatic player.
Asked about the name of the future captain, Didier Deschamps deferred his answer. “You will find out on Thursday (November 14) for the match. Or maybe Wednesday if I decide to send the captain to a press conference, but it's not an obligation. »
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