The Parc des Princes once again vibrated for a clear and flawless French victory. By winning 3-0 against Azerbaijan, France continued its perfect run in these 2026 World Cup qualifiers. A generally controlled evening, marked by a still decisive Mbappé, a Rabiot paradoxically scoring under the whistles, and… an unexpected return, that of Florian Thauvin. Coming into play in the last minutes to replace a captain who was slightly injured in the ankle, the Lensois took advantage of this short moment to rekindle the flame of his history in Blue. A few seconds after his appearance, he brought the whole Park to its feet thanks to a gem of a recovery from the left, sealing the French success. A scenario almost written in advance for a long-forgotten player, returning through the front door, 2,192 days after his last appearance. This is how long it took Florian Thauvin to regain the blue jersey.
Absent since his last match against Andorra in June 2019, where he shone with a goal and an assist, the former Marseillais experienced this gathering as a rebirth. Returning to Ligue 1 this summer under the colors of RC Lens, after a Mexican experience and a very positive break at Udinese, Thauvin convinced Didier Deschamps with his seriousness and efficiency. His performances with the Sang et Or, full of desire and accuracy, pleaded in his favor when it came to compensating for Bradley Barcola's loss. If his summons did not arouse unanimity on social networks, the 32-year-old responded in the best possible way. In eight minutes, he reminded us that he had lost none of his technique or his flair with a surgical left in the 84th minute, then a daring acrobatic return in added time. Enough to shift a beautiful story into the register of waking dreams.
And now ?
There is no doubt that Florian Thauvin attracted all the spotlight this Friday evening at the Parc des Princes. The main person concerned did not hide his emotion in the mixed zone: “I admit that I have stars in my eyes this evening. I am like a child, a great pride, a lot of happiness, already to be able to put on the blue jersey. It's something that's close to my heart. This is something very important to me. To have these few minutes and to be able to score a goal in front of my son, it's the first time he has seen me in the French team, it's an important moment for my family and me. I dreamed of this moment. I have always said that if at some point in my career I had the chance again to be able to wear the France team jersey, I would give everything to be able to take advantage of it, to be able to be decisive and score. I was rewarded. I think that my greatest pride beyond the goal today is to have never given up and to have always continued to work, even when it was a little more difficult“, he said. It remains to be seen whether this waking dream will have a sequel. Thauvin left his mark, but the recent history of the Blues reminds us that the hardest part often begins after the moment of grace.
If the Parc des Princes whistled him when he came into play, the former OM player knew how to respond perfectly: “I have no resentment or animosity towards the whistles. I know that it's part of the game as a former Marseille player, in Paris, I know that that's often the case. So, it's not something that affects me. I think the most important thing is after my goal, the whole stadium celebrated, everyone is happy and I think that's what we should remember. Beyond the dream, I think it demonstrates a certain strength of character. At one point, I was closer to ending my career than returning to the French team, which is what I am today. My course of action has always been the same, which is to continue working and it will always be like that until the end of my career“. But behind the emotion of the moment, Florian Thauvin does not intend to be satisfied with this role of sympathetic ghost. His speech confirmed that he was coming back with clear ambitions to play again, establish himself and prove that he still has the international level. His experience, maturity and ability to make a difference in small spaces can also weigh in the balance of a group where Deschamps values reliability as much as talent.
At 32, he knows that competition is fierce on the wings between Doué, Dembélé, Barcola, and even Olise, the hierarchy is dense, but his versatility and his old-fashioned winger profile can offer him a place in the rotation: “when a player comes to the French team as a competitor, he always wants to stay there. It's not me who makes these decisions. We'll see. Obviously, it's in the back of your mind, when you're a competitor, you always aim further, always higher. It will be me performing well and we will see what happens. I think I'm more efficient. Today I have reached a maturity that I did not have before. I think I approach selection in a different way today. I'm a little more of a leader at heart. I feel that I progressed during my time in Italy which really took me to a new level. I feel better. I feel better every day in training, better when I come home. I ask for all the balloons. I make myself available to all my teammates. And I think I matured a little later than the other players. I think I reached maturity at the age of 31. It's been about a year and a half, two years that I've been feeling good“. The objective will now be to transform this symbolic return into a real second chance. In Lens, his performance and leadership will be closely observed in the coming months. If his body holds up and his consistency is confirmed, he could well become a credible option again as the 2026 World Cup approaches.
