A final match in the form of an anthology of goals on Saturday evening against England (defeat, 4-6) and the France team closed the chapter of the 2026 World Cup. Beaten against the Three Lions in the small final, the team of coach Didier Deschamps showed two faces. For Dayot Upamecano, who entered at half-time, there was only one, and it was more than satisfactory. Many observers highlighted his excellent World Cup.
Former international defender, Benoît Trémoulinas delivered his verdict on the performances of the Bayern Munich player throughout the Blues’ journey in the competition. And he wasn’t there with the back of the spoon. “For me, he is the best player on this France team. » An opinion which surprised his comrades present this Sunday around the set of the L’Équipe channel, the latter giving him the name of Kylian Mbappé.
But the columnist explained his choice. “Against Spain, he was simply better than Mbappé. He was very good in all matches, in boss size. From the first match, in his interventions, the intensity of his races, we said to ourselves: ‘Oh yeah, he’s on a mission and he also wants to show that he’s the best central defender in the world’. And I think he demonstrated it at this World Cup. »
Dayot Upamecano, a potential vice-captain?
Very clearly fascinated by the performances of Dayot Upamecano during this month spent by the Blues in the United States, Benoît Trémoulinas continued his remarks. “He dazzled, with his defensive interventions and his restarts. » But the former Girondins de Bordeaux did not stop there and continued on the theme of comparison with Kylian Mbappé, from the point of view of captaincy with the Blues.
“For me, it can be a captain. He deserves it, he has the shoulders for it. It could be a vice-captain. (…) I am not saying that it will replace (Kylian) Mbappé, but that he could be captain during matches where Mbappé is not there. » An idea which would therefore imply that Dayot Upamecano takes the place of vice-captain currently assigned to Aurélien Tchouaméni.
