Mbappe named new France captain after Lloris retirement

Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann was named vice-captain after Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane also hung up his boots following the defeat to Argentina in December.

Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has been named France captain to succeed Hugo Lloris, the French football federation (FFF) said on Monday.

French sports daily L’Equipe reported that Mbappe had accepted the captaincy after speaking with coach Didier Deschamps.

“Didier Deschamps has named Kylian Mbappe the new captain of Les Bleus. Antoine Griezmann if the vice-captain,” the FFF said on Twitter.

“Kylian meets all the requirements to have this responsibility. On the field as in the life of the group, by being a unifying element,” French TV channel TF1 quoted Deschamps as saying in an interview to be aired on Sunday.

Mbappe, 24, had been touted as one of the candidates for the role since goalkeeper Lloris retired from international football in January, weeks after leading France to a second straight World Cup final, where they were beaten by Argentina.

Mbappe has been capped 66 times and played a key role in their successful 2018 World Cup campaign as well as their runners-up finish in 2022.

France take on the Netherlands at the Stade de France in their first Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday, before travelling to Ireland next Monday.