Didier Deschamps informed the France squad on Monday evening that Kylian Mbappe will be the new Bleus‘ captain, sources told ESPN.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is taking over the captaincy of Hugo Lloris who retired from international football after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Deschamps had a discussion with Mbappe on Monday at Clairefontaine, the France team training center.
The French head coach had made his mind up already and announced the news to his squad on Monday evening.
Mbappe, 24, will become one of the youngest France captains ever and will follow in Lloris’ steps who kept the armband for 14 years, from 2008 to 2022.
Mbappe, who already worn the France armband once, halfway through the game against Denmark back in September, will start his new captaincy era on Friday against the Netherlands at the Stade de France in a qualifying match for the 2024 Euros.
Kylian Mbappe will reportedly take over the France captaincy after allegedly being chosen by Les Blues manager Didier Deschamps.
France are currently without a captain after Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris announced he was retiring from international duties in January after December’s World Cup final defeat to Argentina, leaving the number one spot and captain’s armband up for grabs.
The 24-year-old has cemented his status as one of the best players in world football after his stunning goalscoring exploits for France saw the nation win the 2018 World Cup and almost follow-up it up with a second world title in Qatar last year.
Kylian Mbappe is reportedly set to be named the new France national team captain
Mbappe’s future at Paris Saint-Germain may be up in the air but that hasn’t stopped Deschamps from looking to the youthful attacker to lead the country into a new era of success.
A string of international retirements saw Manchester United’s Raphael Varane, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, and 37-year-old Steve Mandanda join Lloris in calling it a day on their France careers after their World Cup disappointment.
Mbappe would join Norway’s 24-year-old Martin Odegaard in becoming one of the youngest captains in Europe but would likely take the armband without a second thought after his brilliant performances at both club and international level.
The superstar striker has scored a total of 36 goals in 66 international appearances and has been named France’s best player of the season on four separate occasions.
Meanwhile, Mike Maignan will be France’s number one goalkeeper, coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday.
