Under fire from critics in Italy in recent months and more than ever discussed in the selection, Marcus Thuram undoubtedly had more to lose than anyone during this gathering in March. Yes, but now, less than three months before the next World Cup, organized on American soil, the Inter Milan striker took advantage of this international break to get back on the right path. Coming into play against Brazil, the native of Parma started the match against Colombia (3-1) this Sunday. And he shined. Aligned at the tip of the 4-2-3-1 designed by Didier Deschamps, “Tikus”, credited with a 7 by the FM editorial team, certainly did not do everything well, but he was logically rewarded for his efforts.
Heckled at the start of the game and annoyed by the sometimes borderline behavior of the Cafeteros, the French international (33 caps, 3 goals) struggled and his efforts ended up paying off. Scorer with a header after a caviar from Maghnes Akliouche, the 28-year-old striker then turned into a passer to offer Désiré Doué his first double under the blue tunic. A successful and decisive performance before the 2026 World Cup. And for good reason. At a time when the Blues coach is dealing with rich choices and sees certain profiles gaining depth (Doué, Ekitike), the 1m92 right-hander has provided quite a response. Sunday, against the Tricolor, the Franco-Guadeloupean submitted his CV more than ever for the great mass of world football.
A goal and an assist
Mobile, present in the duel, altruistic, the one who had not scored for the Blues for two and a half years convinced the various observers. As a reminder, Thuram remained in 17 appearances in a row for the selection without scoring a single goal, his last dating back to a match against Gibraltar in November 2023 (14-0). Present at the microphone of TF1 after this victory, the Nerazzurri center forward was obviously enjoying it. “We played against a very, very aggressive opponent, we knew how to do things and win. I hope I helped the team with a goal and an assist, it feels good, it helps the team win. It always feels good when the French team wins”.
Relieved, the number 9 of the 2018 world champions thus ended a drought of 961 minutes in the tricolor jersey. A timely performance for Lilian’s son, who has been in great difficulty in recent months. Victim of an injury to the flexor muscle of his right leg last fall, Thuram had since demoted in the hierarchy of Didier Deschamps. Even more, the former Borussia Mönchengladbach player has come under criticism in recent weeks because of a performance considered insufficient in the interior jersey. After only finding the net once since the beginning of January, on February 8 in Sassuolo, Marcus Thuram finally chose this March break to build up his confidence. It will now be necessary to confirm with the current leader of Serie A.
