The 2026 World Cup is already tomorrow. Next March, the Blues will likely face Colombia and Brazil in the United States in preparation. A final gathering before the long-awaited announcement of the players called to play in the next World Cup on the North American continent next summer.
Didier Deschamps, in this perspective, will he have his Pascal Chimbonda, Raymond Domenech’s surprise guest at the 2006 World Cup? At the time, the person concerned had barely played five minutes internationally before experiencing the epic of Zinedine Zidane and others from the bench until the final. With the sad outcome that we know against Marco Materazzi’s Italy.
A certain Maxence Lacroix could play this unexpected guest for the biggest football event to come. The 25-year-old defender, trained at Sochaux, has achieved feats for two seasons at Crystal Palace. “ I’m here to protect my guys… And honestly, I say it with humility, I think I do my job quite well », breathes sure of his strength, in an interview granted to L’Equipe, the best interceptor in the English elite (18 since the start of the season according to Opta).
“I face the best attackers in the world every weekend”
Having passed through the youth teams under the rooster jersey, from the under-16s to the under-20s, Maxence Lacroix admits to closely following the calls from the national coach, even if he admits to not being aware of a possible pre-call-up. “
It’s the club that receives them and I’ve never asked them the question… I prefer not to know and sit in front of YouTube at 2 p.m. (for Didier Deschamps’ announcements on the FFF channel, editor’s note). I watch all of Deschamps’ announcements live, with the hope of being called. If you don’t believe in yourself, football is a bit complex. »
Like his international teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maxence Lacroix faces Strasbourg this Thursday in the Conference League. The opportunity for him to particularly shine? “ No, I don’t think so. The Premier League is still much more watched than the Conference Leaguehe believes. The French team is a childhood dream. Especially with the World Cup coming up, we want to be part of this adventure. Today, as I face the best attackers in the world every weekend, I think I am playing in the ideal championship to reach this last level. » Response imminent.
