It probably wasn’t the birthday present Antoine Griezmann wanted. On the day a talisman turned 32, Didier Deschamps instead confirmed Kylian Mbappe as France’s new captain. Hugo Lloris’s last meaningful action with the armband was to be beaten by Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty.
An era has ended. Lloris spent 12 years with the captaincy, and the fact it was rarely an issue over the 121 games he wore it was a measure of success. He did not depart as a double World Cup-winning captain but the alliance of the two Frenchman to lift the trophy, in Didier Deschamps and Lloris, provided almost unparalleled stability.
