It’s come home...

Not long after Deschamps had spoken to the media in Moscow, Paris’ transport authority said it was renaming subway train stations for the day. So, like the Southgate station in London’s underground is now Gareth Southgate Station, the Notredame des Champs was called Notre Didier Deschamps (Our Didier Deschamps), the Victor Hugo station renamed Victor Hugo Lloris and the Bercy station became “Bercy les Bleus”, close to “Merci Les Bleus”.

A parody photo circulating online called for Paris’ most famous avenue to be renamed ‘Deschamps Elysees.’

“We’ve had lots of problems in France these past years. This is good for the morale ... Here, we are all united. We mix. There is no religion, there is nothing, and that’s what feels good,” said Parisian Goffrey Hamsik on Monday after a weekend that saw Bastille Day celebrations bleed into the euphoria around the World Cup.

Sports minister Laura Flessel, who greeted the players at the airport, said earlier on Europe-1 radio that the victory allows France’s youth -- like those in the poor suburbs where many of the players, such as the World Cup’s breakout star Kylian Mbappe, grew up -- “to dare to believe in their dreams.”

Typically, celebrations in France end up with some broken shop windows and other destruction, and Sunday was no exception.

But as night fell after France’s 4-2 win against Croatia on Sunday, the Eiffel Tower flashed 1998-2018 to mark France’s two World Cup titles.

The Arc de Triomphe was awash in the national colours, lit with the rooster, the faces of the winning team and the words “Proud to be Blue,” or French.