Didier Deschamps has been France manager for 14 years. He won the World Cup in 2018. He reached the final in 2022. He has now named his squad for what he has confirmed will be his last tournament as manager. If France win this one he goes down as one of the greatest international managers in history. One more. That is all he needs.
The squad he has picked is arguably the strongest France have ever assembled. Mbappe at 27 leads the line, now playing at Real Madrid and at the peak of his powers. He already has 12 World Cup goals and is one of the favourites to win the Golden Boot. Around him Deschamps has picked a squad full of depth and quality at every position.
The young players are the most exciting part. Rayan Cherki at 21, now at Manchester City, has been one of the best creative midfielders in Europe this season. Desire Doue from PSG at 20 is electric and unpredictable. Warren Zaire-Emery at just 20 provides energy and intelligence in the middle. France are not just relying on Mbappe. They have a generation of genuinely world class young talent ready to step up.
The big omission is Eduardo Camavinga. The Real Madrid midfielder has had an injury disrupted season and Deschamps made the call to leave him out. It is a decision that will be debated until the tournament starts. When fit Camavinga is one of the best midfielders in the world. His absence leaves France slightly light in the engine room but the options available mean it is hardly a crisis.
France are ranked number one in the world. They are in Group I with Senegal, Norway and Iraq — a group they should win comfortably. The knockouts are where France always come alive and where Mbappe becomes a completely different animal.
If Deschamps gets his send off it will be one of the great managerial farewells in football history. France are not just favourites. They are the team everyone else is trying to stop.
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