A FRENCH REVOLUTION IN THE MAKING
There was never any doubt about the talent France possessed but Didier Deschamps has managed to get them playing as a team and guided them to the final. With the Les Bleus’ tyros making an impression in Russia 2018, HT looks at the youngsters who can help France dominate for years:
KYLIAN MBAPPE
Age: 19| Position: Forward | Club: PSG
His lung-bursting runs against Argentina in the round of 16 will forever be part of World Cup folklore. That is exactly why some of the top clubs, including Real Madrid, are vying for his services.
While he is just 19, he has shown with each passing game that he can adapt to the situation and take a leadership role. Against Belgium, he was all across the pitch, showing his skills, pace and passing abilities.
BACK-UPS
Mbappe's former Monaco teammate Thomas Lemar (22), Ousmane Dembele (left, 22), on whom Barcelona splashed more that 100 million euros, and Nabil Fekir (24), who has been linked to Liverpool, are on the bench but can easily walk into any starting line-up.
SAMUEL UMTITI
Age: 24
Position: Centre-back Club: Barcelona
Injury to Laurent Koscielny meant coach Deschamps was forced to team-up Varane and Umtiti in the centre of the defence.
Nobody was sure how they would gel. But six matches into the tournament, they have emerged as the best centre-back pairing in Russia, which will serve France for years to come. On top of their clearances. tackles and blocks, they scored crucial goals in round of 16 against Uruguay and in the semi-final against Belgium respectively, which saw their team to victory.
RAPHAEL VARANE
Age: 25
Position: Centre-back Club: Real Madrid
BACK-UPS
PSG centre-back Presnel Kimpembe (22), Man City left-back Benjamin Mendy (above, 23) and Monaco's right-back Djibril Sidibe (25) are the other young options Deschamps has at his disposal in defence.
If not for fitness concerns, Mendy and Sidibe would have started in place of Lucas Hernandez and Pavard.
ESTABLISHED STARS
Antoine Griezmann (left) and Paul Pogba are just 27 and 25 respectively but they are already the mainstays for clubs and country. N’Golo Kante may have been playing for France for just a couple of years but has emerged as their key player in the midfield.
They are already among the top players of the world and France will depend on them to guide the youngsters to build a strong base for future tournaments.
BENJAMIN PAVARD
Age: 22| Position: Right-back Club: VfB Stuttgart
His wonder-strike against Argentina is one of the contenders for the goal of the tournament. In the beginning, he was just a back-up but has made the right-back position his own.
His flexibility to play on the right or as a centre-back, as he does in Bundesliga, has earned him comparisons with Lilian Thuram.
DESCHAMPS THE KEY
Every time France take the field they are reminded of the debacle of 2010, when their campaign disintegrated due to factions in the team.
Deschamps, who captained France to glory in 1998, has done a good job to keep together players coming from varied backgrounds and make them play as a team. He has also kept indisciplined players like Karim Benzema out of the team despite his performances at club level to maintain harmony in the squad.