End of an era as Didier Deschamps announces France squad | OneFootball

Didier Deschamps announced his France squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium. There were some notable absences, which marked the end of an era.

Ahead of the upcoming international break, Antoine Griezmann (33) announced his international retirement. He was a regular for Les Bleus having earned 137 caps with the national team and having made 84 consecutive appearances. The announcement came as a shock and the void his announcement created will be hard to fill.

Kylian Mbappé (25) is also absent. Despite coming off the bench during Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Lille OSC in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, he is still recovering from a hamstring injury. After consultation with Les Bleus’ captain and Los Blancos, the decision was taken to allow him to remain with his club, rest, and recover.

It is the first time since November 2013 that neither Griezmann nor Mbappé have been included in a France squad, whilst none of the starting XI in France’s World Cup final triumph over Croatia in 2018 are present in the squad, with N’Golo Kanté and Benjamin Pavard also missing out. It truly is the end of an era.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle