It’s come home: Red carpet for Les Bleus as Paris greets champs
MOSCOW/PARIS: France coach Didier Deschamps and his players returned home on Monday to triumphant arcs of water heralding their airplane’s arrival and a heroes welcome after the country’s national team lifted the World Cup by defeating Croatia in the final.
France skipper Hugo
Lloris emerged from the aircraft holding the trophy as Deschamps led the team out at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport on Monday. Before they landed, it was announced the team would be conferred France’s highest civil and military award, the Legion of Honour. In keeping with convention, Deschamps will be Legion Knight or a higher grade officer.
As the multi-cultural, and often conflicted, society, which has been hit by repeated terror attacks in the recent past, basks in the afterglow of being world champions -- Le Equipe headlined the World Cup win as ‘Eternal Happiness’ and the Champs Elysees was packed with people and the French flag hanging from every tree on Monday.
It could boost president Emmanuel Macron’s poll ratings that are now down to 40%. France’s triumph in 1998 had helped Jacques Chirac win a second term.
Barely had Deschamps settled in to address the world media at the hall of the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow after Sunday night’s victory, some players led by Benjamin Mendy gate-crashed and drenched him in a cocktail of champagne, soft drinks and water. The chant: ‘Didier Deschamps…didier Deschamps…didier…didier…di dier Deschamps” filled the hall as the coach tried hiding behind Antoine Griezmann.
The first group left but Paul Pogba led another march. More drenching of their coach, this time accompanied by players singing and Pogba dancing on the podium table.
“It is the third time I change and I still smell just as bad,” said Deschamps. But it didn’t matter, because as Deschamps put it, the young squad was “swimming in happiness.”
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