French outlet L’Equipe reported how after careful consideration of the nation’s remaining stars, Les Bleus boss Deschamps has chosen Mbappe to take on the huge responsibility.
Youngster Mbappe got his first national team call-up for France in 2017 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification games. He was the second youngest player after Maryan Wisnieski to feature in the France national team at the age of 18 and 95 days. He scored his first senior international goal against the Netherlands in the 2018 World Cup qualification.
France have been without a captain after Tottenham short stopper Hugo Lloris announced he was retiring from international duty after December’s World Cup final defeat by Argentina, leaving the captain’s armband up for grabs.
A string of international retirements saw Manchester United’s Raphael Varane, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, and 37-year-old Steve Mandanda join Lloris in calling it a day on their France careers after their World Cup disappointment.
That left Deschamps with an apparent decision of choosing between Mbappe or fellow frontman Antoine Griezmann, with the former getting the nod from the France manager.
The superstar striker has scored a total of 36 goals in 66 international appearances and has been named France’s best player of the season on four separate occasions.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup top scorer would join Norway’s 24-year-old Martin Odegaard in becoming one of the youngest captains in Europe but would likely take the armband without a second thought after his brilliant performances at both club and international levels.
