Christophe Galtier, the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, has stated that striker Kylian Mbappe will be taking on “a great burden” if he becomes France’s next captain following the retirement of goalie Hugo Lloris from international football.
Mbappe is a leader, according to Galtier, who has yet to speak with him about being France’s new captain. Mbappe has now earned 66 caps for Les Bleus, scoring 36 goals.
The 24-year-old won the 2018 FIFA World Cup and scored a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, but he was ultimately defeated.
The former Monaco great appears to be the obvious choice, but he may not want the captaincy that Lloris had for eleven years.
According to the latest French publications, Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane is another strong contender for the job, having served as vice-captain at the Qatar World Cup.
Speaking ahead of PSG’s Ligue 1 tie with Angers on Wednesday night, Galtier said on Tuesday at his pre-match press conference: “I am not the national team coach. I am not going to get involved in the France captain discussion.
“Sometimes, the France captain is of a certain age with a certain number of caps.
“Kylian Mbappe has got many under his belt and many incredible performances. I have not spoken to Kylian Mbappe about whether he’ll be the France captain or not.
“Of course, that is a huge responsibility. It’s not me who will decide who the captain will be. Even without the armband, he is a leader.”