France – Main Euro statistics
Euro holdings: 10
European titles: two
Best finish: Winners (1984, 2000)
Record in euros: W21 D12 L10
Goals scored: 69
Biggest win: 5-0 (against Belgium at Euro 1984)
Player to watch: Antonio Griezmann
World ranking: 2nd
Team nickname: Les Bleus (The Blues)
Group games:
- June 17th: Austria vs France (Düsseldorf Arena, Düsseldorf, 9pm local/7pm GMT)
- June 21th: Netherlands vs France (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 9pm local/7pm GMT)
- June 25th: France vs Poland (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 6pm local/4pm GMT)
How to follow our Euro 2024 coverage: UEFA Euro 2024 on Al Jazeera
Euro 2024 is the fifth major tournament in a row that France will enter as favorites.
They have reached the final in three of the last four World Cups and European Championships – and were one step away from Emiliano Martinez being back-to-back World Cup champions at Qatar 2022.
This astonishing level of consistency can be credited to the seemingly inexhaustible pool of talent the nation can draw on.
Let’s see, for example, how the emergence of Mike Maignan and William Saliba compensated for the retirements of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane. Or how Aurelien Tchouameni perfectly plugged the Paul Pogba-shaped hole in midfield.
Likewise, Marcus Thuram’s performances for Inter Milan this season have shown that he is ready for the baton to be passed to him once Olivier Giroud retires. The unbroken talent supply chain has passed to another French team on the eve of their next major tournament, Euro 2024.
Culture is fundamental
The team culture adopted by coach Didier Deschamps has added another dimension to their continued success.
Despite the global stars at his disposal, his genius lies in how he makes them put their egos aside when playing for the national team. The collective replaces the individual, and it is a principle that Deschamps has adhered to himself.
The reintegration of Adrien Rabiot and Karim Benzema – two players with whom the coach has fallen out in the past – ahead of Euro 2020 demonstrated this. Benzema scored four goals in four games in the COVID-19 postponed tournament, while Rabiot established himself as a key pillar in the French midfield.
Deschamps’ management style is the perfect blend of trust and merit. N’Golo Kante’s selection for Euro 2024 is the most recent example of this.
The 33-year-old’s career has been marred by injuries in recent years – he last played for France in June 2022 and made just nine appearances for Chelsea in the 2022/2023 season. After joining Al Ittihad last summer, where he played 44 games, Deschamps believes Kante can once again be an asset to his team.
“He has had a full season, although not in a European league as he plays in Saudi Arabia where he has regained all his fitness,” said Deschamps when announcing his call-up on French TV channel TF1.
“And I think with his experience and background, I am convinced that our team will be stronger with him.”
The infusion of experience into the squad was accompanied by an injection of youth, with 18-year-olds Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola being called up.
Griezmann the glue guy
Superstar Kylian Mbappe is the obvious centrepiece to this France side – the 25-year-old topped Les Bleus’ goals (9) and assists (5) charts in their unbeaten qualification campaign for Euro 2024.
However, as was the case in Qatar in 2022, the heartbeat of the team remains veteran forward Antoine Griezmann.
The Atletico Madrid star has been a constant presence in Deschamps’s managerial reign. His record of playing 84 consecutive games for France came to an end in the March friendlies against Chile and Germany, which he missed through injury.
Griezmann’s versatility makes him indispensable to Deschamps.
He came of age at Euro 2016 as a second striker, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot.
At Euro 2020, he often found himself playing on the left of a front-three forward line to accommodate Mbappe and Benzema.
With France reeling from injuries at the 2022 World Cup, Deschamps decided to deploy him in midfield. The experiment worked, with Griezmann notching up the joint-highest assists total in Qatar.
It is a role he will reprise in Germany this summer, and at age 33, this is Griezmann’s last chance to win the trophy that has eluded him in his storied France career.
France’s recent appearances at the European Football Championship have been defined by heartbreak.
At Euro 2016, they lost the final in extra time to Portugal at home.
Just when it looked like they were progressing at Euro 2020, they suffered a shock exit to Switzerland in the round of 16.
Winning the World Cup in 2018 does not do justice to the level of dominance France have shown over the last decade. This year’s Euros represents a golden opportunity for Les Bleus to seal their legacy as one of the best national teams in history.
France’s final squad for Euro 2024
Captain: Kylian Mbappé
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern from Munich) )
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Youssouf Fofana (AS Monaco)
Advanced: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Olivier Giroud (Los Angeles FC)
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Euro 2024 tournament page with all match build-up and live text commentary, and stay up to date with group standings and real-time results and match schedules.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
