Time to banish Euro memory

that could have on his players, pointing out that their memories will generally be minimal. “You have to live in your own times: I never, never, never mention my own history,” Deschamps said. “Some of them were not born but saw pictures. It belongs to a lot of French people that lived through it but not the young generation. “I’m here to write a new page in history, the most beautiful page. I’m not saying I’m not proud of what we did 20 years ago. Nobody will be able to erase it. But we can’t look back and see what is in the rear-view mirror.” “I feel very proud for my group. We have been 49 days together,” Deschamps added. “There were a lot of things, a lot of difficult things. Everyone can take credit.” Teenager Kylian Mbappe, who was not part of the France team two years ago, said even in his wildest dreams he would not have imagined reaching the World Cup final. “It is unbelievable. It is the dream of dreams, the dream of the future, everything,” said 19year-old Mbappe, who tormented the Belgian defence with his runs. “I don’t have the words. Not even in my wildest dreams, and I am a big dreamer, would I have imagined this,” he said.

“There is still one more step to take, but we are proud of what we have done.”

“In the changing room, Didier Deschamps was happy. We were all happy, all hugging. (France) President Emmanuel Macron came down to see us. Everyone is with us, we’re all in this together.”

Asked what Macron, who had been in the stands, said, he replied: “He said he would come back for the final, to see us with the Cup.”