New France coach Zidane confirms Mbappe as captain

Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Friday that Kylian Mbappe would be his France captain after naming his first squad since being appointed as the successor to Didier Deschamps as coach of Les Bleus.

Real Madrid superstar Mbappe shone in his role as skipper at the World Cup and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, although France were beaten by eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals.

That brought the curtain down on the 14-year reign as coach of Deschamps, the highlight of which was the World Cup triumph in 2018. Zidane, who played alongside Deschamps in the France sides that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, was unveiled at the end of July as the new coach on a four-year contract.

His first matches in charge come in the UEFA Nations League, beginning with a trip to Turkey next Friday and then a meeting with Belgium in Brussels on September 28.

Zidane’s first home game at the helm will be against Italy at the Stade de France on October 2, with his new charges then hosting Belgium three days later.

The 54-year-old former Ballon d’Or winner Zidane, who retired from playing in 2006 after being sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi during that year’s World Cup final which France lost on penalties to Italy, has named several new faces in his first squad.

Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, 21, is included as a reward for his performances with Liverpool since moving to the Premier League club during the close season.

Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul, the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, gets a first call-up while there is a place for the midfielder Lucas Da Cunha of Como in Serie A.

Andy Diouf, the midfielder or wing-back with Inter Milan, and Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes also come in.

Notable names who were at the World Cup but who do not feature in the squad include the Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and the Inter forward Marcus Thuram, as well as the injured Arsenal defender William Saliba.

France squad

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Robin Risser (Lens), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse)

Defenders: Andy Diouf (Inter Milan/ITA), Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool/ENG), Ibrahima Konate (Real Madrid/ESP), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus/ITA), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea/ENG), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)

Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City/ENG), Lucas Da Cunha (Como/ITA), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan/ITA), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Liverpool/ENG), Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue (both Paris Saint-Germain), Esteban Lepaul (Rennes), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/ESP), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER)

AFP