Florian Thauvin's return to the French team took place under the best auspices. For his first match in the rooster jersey since 2019, the French striker scored a goal with a volley against Azerbaijan (3-0) on Friday, barely a minute after coming into play.
The new figurehead of RC Lens also stood out in another way in the Blues locker room. In an extract broadcast during the Téléfoot show this Sunday, the 2018 world champion shares a motivational speech with his teammates during the break. A scene which did not fail to provoke reactions, in particular that of the columnist and sports commentator Walid Acherchour.
“I was very embarrassed by this video”
The French journalist considered these images embarrassing:
“A selection to please him? It's not what we read or what we hear. The media surge around him sends the signal that he has made a strong impression, on the pitch or in the group. There is this video in Téléfoot where we see that it is a frame… I was very embarrassed by this video. »
Acherchour also questions Thauvin’s legitimacy in adopting such a posture. “Seeing him speak at half-time when it’s been six years since he last played for the national team… I don’t even know if Michael Olise knows him, for example”he declared on RMC, before describing his last sentence as a “joke”.
