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France begin a promising era under new captain Kylian Mbappe on Friday night when they face the Netherlands in the first of their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Les Bleus were beaten World Cup finalists in Qatar at the backend of last year but still have a vastly experienced squad littered with exceptional young players, despite the retirements of some key figures.
Here’s the side manager Didier Deschamps may select to get France’s qualifying campaign off to a winning start.
GK: Mike Maignan – With Hugo Lloris now out of the picture following his international retirement, France’s number one spot is AC Milan stopper Maignan’s to lose.
RB: Jules Kounde – Has played both centrally and out wide for Barcelona this season and may get the nod over Benjamin Pavard at right back.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 23-year-old Konate may be the first France youngster to get the opportunity to step into the retired Raphael Varane’s shoes.
CB: Dayot Upamecano – Started five of France’s seven 2022 World Cup games and is expected to be a crucial part of their defence for years to come.
LB: Theo Hernandez – Hernandez is France’s biggest attacking threat from defence, often popping up with goals and assists for club side AC Milan.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – Has had a mixed campaign with Real Madrid so far but will feature with established stars like N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba still absent.
CM: Adrien Rabiot – Juventus’ off-pitch problems don’t seem to have affected Rabiot, who has racked up his best ever league tally of seven goals already this season.
RW: Kingsley Coman – Has scored some massive goals at club level but only has five strikes in 46 international appearances, a rate not becoming of a player of Coman’s quality.
AM: Antoine Griezmann – Reminded everyone of his quality at the World Cup and has played a vital role in Atletico Madrid’s recent resurgence after a poor first half of the season.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – Now captaining the side, Mbappe is the clear icon of this France team and will be for years to come.
ST: Olivier Giroud – Giroud has seen off competition from Karim Benzema, who retired after the World Cup having not featured due to injury. 53 goals makes Giroud France’s leading men’s goalscorer.
