The French Olympic football team lost to Spain in the Olympic final last Friday, with a score of 5-3. Despite this defeat, the team led by Thierry Henry had a much better performance than in the previous edition in Tokyo, where it was eliminated in the group stage, thus offering a silver medal to the French delegation.
This result, however, did not dispel the regrets of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who deplores the absence of certain talents of French football, retained by their clubs for the Olympic Games. Among them are renowned players such as Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga, all playing for Real Madrid, as well as Antoine Griezmann of Atlético Madrid.
“All those who did not believe in the Games were wrong”
“I was also moved by the French football team, because Thierry Henry gave a lot of effort, against all odds, with players who made the French dream, Macron said for L’Equipe. Frankly, we weren’t helped by everyone in this affair, let’s not lie to ourselves. If I had committed to this subject? Yes, with unequal success (smile). We would have needed more from Antoine Dupont. Because what he did was very generous.”
“He has nothing to prove, he’s a star, his club has swept the board this year, it’s not his sport… He could have said ‘I’m going to rest this summer’. Having a player like him who is relearning with humility within a rugby 7s team (…) is very generous. Kylian Mbappé? I’m not targeting anyone. I think that all those who didn’t believe in the Games were wrong, in the organisation as well as in the sport, because it was better to be there.”added the French head of state.
