France captain Hugo Lloris announces international retirement | OneFootball

Through an announcement on L’Équipe, France captain Hugo Lloris has this evening announced his international retirement, putting an end to a spell with Les Bleus that has spanned 14 years.

The Tottenham Hotspur man explains that he wanted to end on a high, as well as leave with time to spare before the next international break in March out of respect for his teammates and manager. He explains to L’Équipe that he believes that there is another goalkeeper – Mike Maignan – who is now ready to take up the role as France’s number one.

The former Nice and Lyon goalkeeper’s 145 caps makes him Les Bleus’ all-time record appearance-maker, in a stint which reached its apex when he lifted the World Cup in Russia in 2018. During his captaincy, Lloris will have also overseen a European Championship campaign on home soil that saw the team reach the final, a second World Cup final this year, as well as a Nations League title last year.

The only survivor of France’s disastrous 2010 campaign in South Africa, Lloris had been given the armband by Laurent Blanc, who succeeded Raymond Domenech after the tournament.