Now that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is only a few weeks away, we highlight a group of French athletes that are certain to draw attention to Arab land. On November 20, Qatar 2022 will begin, and Les Bleus will be attempting to retain their title. Young Real Madrid players Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni may both start in a double pivot, although Deschamps could choose to start Camavinga over the latter due to his lack of experience. Here, we take a detailed look at five France team players who seem destined to shine once the action begins.
Hugo Lloris
Age: 35
Position: Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris is still anticipated to start in goal, despite the fact that Mike Maignan may be beginning to make a strong case for the France No. 1 shirt. Didier Deschamps said at a news conference at the beginning of June that the Tottenham goalkeeper would be the last line of defence for Les Bleus at Qatar 2022 and potentially beyond. With 139 appearances under his belt, Lloris is on track to surpass Lilian Thuram’s 142-game total and take the title of France’s most-captained player. The consistent goalkeeper, who won the World Cup in 2018, is a model of reliability. In fact, he played in every one of Spurs’ 38 league games during the 2021–2022 season, a record he had accomplished each of the previous 10 years.
Raphael Varane
Placement: centre-back
Age: 29
Raphael Varane struggled in his first season at Manchester United after a stellar decade in the centre of Real Madrid’s defence. The former RC Lens goalkeeper only made 22 appearances in the Premier League due to groyne, foot, and thigh problems. The previous time he made so few appearances was in the 2014–15 season, which is a full seven years ago. But everyone in the France camp has cause to be optimistic given the solid start he has made to this current campaign. Varane also missed a number of France’s matches during the previous campaign, including three of the four June Nations League games. Deschamps still sees the imposing centre-back as the focal point of the Les Bleus defence despite his injury woes.
Antoine Tchouameni
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder
Les Bleus’ emerging star is Aurelien Tchouameni. Tchouameni, who is just 22 years old, is impressive for his maturity. The Frenchman was one of the top players in Ligue 1 last season and caught the attention of the greatest teams before choosing Real Madrid of La Liga. The former Monegasque is now a crucial member of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad and has maintained his spectacular ascent, earning the coach’s plaudits for his “strong of character.” Tchouameni advanced through every level of the French national team’s junior teams before getting his senior team debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 1, 2021.
K. Y. Mbappe
Place: Forward
Age: 23
The Bondy-born offensive star had an incredible season at Paris Saint-Germain the previous time around, winning his sixth Ligue 1 championship and setting a record by becoming the first player in the league to lead both the scoring and assist charts in the same season (28 and 17 respectively). The 2022–23 season has gotten off to a similarly devastating start for the high-heeled wonderkid, who has four goals in as many games. Mbappe has consistently made a difference for Les Bleus since the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, scoring 23 of his 27 goals for France during that time. He will be a key player for Deschamps’ team in Qatar.
Giroud, Olivier
Striker Position
Age: 36
Following the late blow of Karim Benzema’s forced retirement due to injury, a portion of Olivier Giroud’s goal-scoring duty will rest on his shoulders. Despite not scoring in Russia, Giroud was a talismanic figure for Didier Deschamps’ 2018 winners. In addition to winning the Europa League with Chelsea two years before, the striker won the UEFA Champions League with the London club in 2021. Giroud joined AC Milan in the summer of 2021, and his 11 goals from 22 league start helped the team finally win the Serie A after an 11-year drought.
With five goals and three assists from 13 Serie A games, he started this season well (nine starts). Giroud, a former centre-forward for Arsenal, calls himself an “old-fashioned striker.” On the eve of Russia 2018, he said to L’Équipe, “I have the profile of a striker who maintains the ball, who needs to assist his team out by enabling them to depend on a player who can be a relay.”
Deschamps decided at the final minute to go back to a back-four in defence. With Pavard and Theo Hernandez playing wide, Varane and Lucas Hernandez will likely start. The 2022 World Cup will not be any different in that there will be players who are anticipated to participate but end up sitting out for tactical or other reasons, injuries, or other unexpected events.
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