The two stars that appear on the jersey of the French football team, Didier Deschamps can boast of having contributed to it. Captain of the 1998 World Champions, the interested party led the Blues to the Supreme coronation 20 years later as a national coach. Among other memorable finals.
The sports report is flattering, however the Bayonnais technician is far from being unanimous now. Some people judge him at the end of the cycle, unable to renew himself and to breathe new momentum into a French team which sometimes, it is true, lack of going and madness.
At the controls of the selection since 2012, Didier Deschamps recently announced his departure, scheduled for the term of the Blues' journey to the 2026 World Cup. A news welcomed with relief by his detractors and the supporters of a Zinedine Zidane promised to the next generation for many years already.
Only Löw does better than Deschamps
Yet in the strict sense of performance, Didier Deschamps stands out as one of the greatest strategists in history on the international scene. Third most capped coach with the same selection after 167 directed matches – behind the German Joachim Löw (198) and the Uruguayan Oscar Tabarez (224) – the former midfielder is also and above all one of the most victorious.
Sunday at the Stade de France against Croatia, Didier Deschamps obtained with the Blues his 106e Victory – be as much as Oscar beats with the Celeste. Only Joachim Low with Mannschaft did better, with 124 successes on his credit. A record that Didier Deschamps could possibly reach by the end of his mandate if his team were to win all his matches. In the meantime, the Bayonnais won 63.5% of its duels with the tricolor selection. It's a little better than Löw with Germany (63.1%).
