Aurélien Tchouamenicaptain of France in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, spoke today at a press conference: “I spoke with Kylian last night, but we didn’t really talk about the question of captaincy. Today is not the time. Tomorrow we will have time to concentrate on the match, after our training tonight. Many people speak in the locker room, it’s more a question of feelings, they didn’t wait until they had the armband to speak. The most important thing tomorrow will be to win and make you proud.”
On the context surrounding the match against Israel
“First of all, it’s a football match, but it’s difficult to ignore the context that everyone knows. We have a very important match for the rest of the competition, but I can’t lie and say that it doesn’t concern us, that it doesn’t affect us.”
What kind of captain does he want to be?
A good captain is a leader who unites the team and knows how to listen. It’s what I want to be. But I don’t think we need to complicate our lives. It’s an honor and a pride, a goal you set for yourself and something you dream of when you’re young. We need to enjoy the moment and above all win the next two games.”
Regarding Antoine Griezmann’s international retirement:
“We were all surprised by his announcement. I didn’t expect it, and I think a lot of other people didn’t expect it either. If he made this decision, it’s because he felt it was the best for him and his family. Since in which he is happy, this is the most important thing for us; he is a monument of French football, we will miss the technical leader that he was empty”.