Kylian Mbappe Take Over France Captain Following Lloris Retirement
Hugo Lloris resigned after France lost to Argentina in the World Cup final, and Kylian Mbappe will now serve as France’s captain, a source close to the team informed AFP.
Following conversations with coach Didier Deschamps, striker Mbappe, 24, of Paris Saint-Germain, agreed to take on the position.
The first encounter for Les Bleus since the World Cup final in Qatar on December 18 will be his first match as captain on Friday at the Stadium de France against the Netherlands.
After a dramatic encounter ended 3-3 after extra time, Tottenham goalie Lloris, 36, announced the end of his international career as Lionel Messi’s Argentina team defeated the French in a penalty shootout.
Lloris had served as skipper for over ten years.
As Manchester United center-back Raphael Varane retired after the team’s loss to Argentina in December, Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann was named vice-captain.
Mbappe had been strongly associated with the captaincy for weeks before he scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final defeat.
In 2018, he was a teenager when Les Bleus won the World Cup, and now he is perhaps the top forward in the world.
The Paris-born former Monaco player, who serves as PSG’s vice captain in place of Brazilian defender Marquinhos, captained the team during Sunday’s defeat to Rennes without the defense.
Mbappe scored seven goals in PSG’s journey to the last 16 of the Champions League, when they were eliminated by Bayern Munich, and has scored 19 goals in 24 Ligue 1 games this season.
