Kylian Mbappe, a player who has become one of the most decorated strikers in football, has been named the captain of France's national football team ahead of Antoine Griezmann on Tuesday.
France football association made an official announcement on their social media handle which said, "Didier Deschamps has named Kylian Mbappe as the new Blues captain! Antoine Griezmann is the vice-captain."
Mbappe already led the French football team on one occasion against Denmark last September. He will now become the youngest captain in the entire history of Les Bleus.
Before Mbappe, Tottenham Hotspur's veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris led the French national team. Under his reign France won the 2018 World Cup and went on to play a second consecutive World Cup final in Qatar, only to be denied by the resilient Argentinian side.
The 24-year-old striker recently surpassed Edinson Cavani and became the all-time goal scorer for Paris Saint-German. After his appointment, he has become the 9th France captain from PSG. In terms of experience Atletico Madrid's striker, Griezmann would have been an ideal replacement. But it seems as if France manager Deschamps is seeking out a long-term replacement.
Mbappe has proved himself at every level quite early in his career. He became the second player in the history of football to score goals in two consecutive finals after Pele. He also became the second player to score a hattrick in the World Cup final after Geoff Hurst. The 2022 World Cup Golden boot winner has featured for France 66 times and during this period he has managed to find the net 36 times and registered 23 assists. The defining factor for his sensational goal-scoring form is his World Cup stats. In 14 appearances the Frenchman has scored 12 goals. Also, he is yet to recieve a red card for the French National team.
Mbappe will wear the captaincy armband against the Netherlands at Stade de France in the Euro Qualifiers on Saturday and against Ireland on Tuesday. Mbappe would be keen to mark the new era of France's football with a victory.
READ ALSO: