France forward Kylian Mbappe could reportedly be named as his national team’s captain should current skipper Hugo Lloris retire before Euro 2024.
The reports come after France’s defeat to Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final on December 18.
France have been one of the most successful nations in recent times. The European giants reached back-to-back World Cup finals under the captaincy of Lloris.
The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper also guided them to World Cup glory back in 2018.
Lloris, however, will be turning 36 later this month. Despite goalkeepers tending to play longer than their outfield counterparts, he is surely in the twilight of his career.
Lloris did acknowledge Mbappe’s leadership qualities at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup. The Spurs shot-stopper was quoted as saying the following (via the Mirror):
“I believe that this tournament can be used for the future of the France team. It was a bit of a handover between a generation arriving in the last phase of their career and a new generation led by Kylian who showed strong leadership in this tournament and even more so in this final. We must keep this France team at the top.”
When asked about his international retirement, Lloris added the following:
“I don’t want to answer this question. I need a little perspective, to gain height. We’ll see in a few weeks. We come out exhausted from a tournament like that. We just want to find our own. We don’t have much strength left, we just want to be back with our families.”
According to journalist Hadrien Grenier, Mbappe could be named the new captain if Lloris retires.
He seems like the natural heir to the goalkeeper as the captain of the French national team. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward has already been part of the national setup for nearly six years. The attacker has amassed 66 caps and has scored 36 goals for his national side.
Kylian Mbappe nearly guided France to their second World Cup title in a row
Kylian Mbappe was his national team’s best player at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The former AS Monaco forward scored eight goals and provided three assists as Didier Deschamps’ side narrowly lost to Argentina in the final.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the final as the game ended 3-3 after extra time. He even scored his penalty during the shootout. The defending champions, however, fell short and lost the shootout 4-2.
The 23-year-old forward, however, did end the tournament with the Golden Boot. He finished just one goal ahead of his PSG teammate Lionel Messi who himself netted a brace in the final.
