Mike Maignan will not be the captain of the France national team for the matches against Israel and Belgium. In fact, Aurélien Tchouaméni will be.
The decision was communicated to the goalkeeper on Monday after dinner by coach Didier Deschamps, who explained his reasoning. The main one, as reported by L'Equipe today, is a reluctance to appoint a goalkeeper as captain, despite the precedent set by Hugo Lloris.
On his part, Maignan's entourage let it be known through the newspaper that the 1995-born Milan player never wanted the captaincy, neither at Milan nor in the national team, as he doesn't need the armband to be a leader.
There was no disappointment, despite yesterday's rumours, as told by Tchouameni during a press conference.
Many players thought Maignan would be the captain
L'Equipe explains that the vast majority of teammates were convinced the choice would fall on Maignan, given the impression from some of his statements before and during the Euros.
Past disagreements with Kylian Mbappé, the designated captain, should not be overlooked. The forward had disagreed with the goalkeeper after the outburst following France's 1-3 loss to Italy in the Nations League.
29-year-old Maignan had criticised the lazy attitude of some players, including a veiled jab at Mbappé, who in turn blamed a lack of preliminary tactical preparation.
