No one really saw this one coming. For Didier Deschamps’ “last dance” with the France team, many imagined seeing Antoine Griezmann or Olivier Giroud come out of their international retirement to come and compete in one last World Cup with the man who took them to the roof of the world in 2018. On the other hand, not many people had bet on a possible comeback from Hugo Lloris.
The former captain of the Blues is still hungry…
At 39, the French goalkeeper is having a blast at Los Angeles FC, a club with which he recently extended his contract until 2026 (with an option until 2027). But on January 10, 2023, the Niçois was clear in the columns of The Team. Barely returned from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the record holder for the number of selections for the Blues (145 caps) announced that he was ending his international career after winning the 2018 World Cup, the 2021 Nations League and participating in two lost major finals (Euro 2016, World Cup 2022).
“There comes a time when you have to know how to hand over. I don’t want to take ownership of the thing, I have always said and repeated that the French team does not belong to anyone, and we must all ensure that this is the case, me first and foremost. I think that behind, the team is ready to continue, there is also a goalkeeper who is ready (Mike Maignan)”. This evening, The Team tells us that Lloris is ready to come out of his international retirement three years later, if Deschamps decides to call on him.
…even to be goalkeeper number 3
“Out of modesty and respect for the guardians in place, he will never campaign to be there, he does not want to be the one who steals the place. But obviously he wouldn’t say no to a call-up to the French team. Once again, there is no question of him putting himself forward or using levers to succeed in being called”those close to the doorman told the daily. Lloris is still far from a return to Blue, but the former Tottenham goalkeeper is eager to return to the selection, even as number 3, to support the new generation.
A priori, nothing to call into question the starting position of the current number 1 goalkeeper of the Tricolores, Mike Maignan. But this announcement is a real twist, even if Lloris maintains a more than adequate level of performance in MLS. This news could also be dramatic for Lucas Chevalier, whose downgrade at Paris Saint-Germain and the Blues is only being confirmed. For his last big trip with the France team, will DD remember the man who was his captain for 14 years (121 times in 145 matches)?
