Deschamps reinvents France again as Mbappe bids to keep World Cup promise

It will be the end of Lionel Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo

too. It will be the final World Cup for a host of other stars, the curtain call for Granit Xhaka, James Rodriguez, Casemiro, Vozinha - granted few knew who he was until a month ago - and many others.

It will also be the end for another dominant, wily, figure who treads the kind of rarefied air that few have ever trodden. Come July 20th, he may have reached a pinnacle that no one has managed ever before.

Didier Deschamps

has already won the

World Cup

as a player (1998) and a manager (2018), a feat matched only by Franz Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo. Only the legendary Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo has won the competition twice as head coach (1934 and 1938). If the

France

boss holds the World Cup trophy aloft on Sunday evening at MetLife Stadium, he will match that accomplishment too and be very much out on his own.

On Tuesday night, when

face

Spain

in their mouthwatering semi-final, he will lead Les Bleus for the 26th time at a World Cup finals. A new record, set, fittingly, on Bastille Day.

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As a player, his eulogy was written long ago. Disparagingly labelled a mere “water carrier” for his ability to regain possession and pass it to more gifted players by

Eric Cantona,

Deschamps led by sheer force of will, organised on field and demanded the most possible from those around him as he captained France to not just their first World Cup success, on home soil in ’98, but also to the European Championships two years later. When he was gone, they immediately flattered to deceive, the first

world

champions embarrassingly dumped out of the group stage in 2002, his leadership sorely missed.

When the French

Football

Federation came calling and persuaded him to take over in 2012, Les Bleus had become a self-combustible farce. The inmates were running the asylum under Raymond Domenech, culminating in their shameful exit from the

South Africa

World Cup in 2010 - slated as ‘LES IMPOSTEURS’ by

L’Equipe

- before a series of middling displays led to them easily beaten in the Euro 2012 quarter-final by Tuesday’s opponents.

Over the past 14 years, Deschamps has rebuilt their reputation. After the quarter-final of 2014, losing only to eventual winners

Germany

in a tight, edgy encounter, they were victorious in 2018 before reaching the final in 2022, losing to

Argentina

only on penalties after a thrilling final ended 3-3.

Now they’re back in the final four, becoming only the third nation to reach three successive semi-finals after Germany (1966, 1970, 1974) and

Brazil

(1994, 1998, 2002). However you look at it, his record is one of excellence and a remarkable consistency. In 25 World Cup matches as France coach, he’s won 20, drawn three and lost just two - Germany 2014 and a meaningless group game vs

Tunisia

four years ago the only blots on Deschamps’ copybook.

“It’s not luck,” explained Thierry Henry, speaking on Fox Sports. “This guy is a serial winner. And that’s about it. I can also tell you how hard it is to have a lot of alphas and make sure that only one will be the alpha.”

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Henry is not wrong, but there are questions that surround exactly how Deschamps will be remembered when he steps down at the end of the tournament, with Zinedine Zidane lined up to replace him.

At times, his various France iterations have been hard to love. Dour even. Pragmatism has ruled the roost. Yes it has brought success. Yet on the outside, many have asked whether, for all the fabulous, highly-talented players Deschamps has had at his disposal, could he have done more? Should he have won more? Could he have made them more exciting? Has he shackled sides and made them play with the handbrake on?

Certainly, they have not been universally loved. In the final of Euro 2016, few outside France were rooting for them to beat

Portugal

on home soil. Two years later, in

Russia

, the Croatian underdog story largely united neutrals in that particular final. In

Qatar

, the story of Messi finally winning the game’s biggest prize trumped any desire to see back-to-back winners.

But this summer has been different. “I’m proud to have this team” said Deschamps on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s blockbuster semi-final and this star-studded side is playing to a different tune. The expectations around the camp remain the same as they have for 14 years under Deschamps’ rule, when it comes to discipline, commitment and being ready to “fight for the group”.

However this team, led by its brilliant attacking quartet of record scorer Kylian Mbappe, reigning Ballon d’Or Ousmane Dembele,

Bayern Munich's

free-spirited Michael Olise and the ludicrously talented Desire Doue, have had the shackles thrown off and are playing not only to win, but almost as though Deschamps himself has said “f*** it lads, entertain me”. They’ve taken him at his word and he appears invigorated by it.

And what we are seeing is a team that are enjoying playing with one another, enjoying the challenges being presented - even when being kicked here, there and everywhere by

Paraguay

- and which, collectively and as individuals, are working their socks off and giving everything they possibly can to win the World Cup again. Defensively they've remained largely rock solid, conceding just twice in six games - and none in their three KO matches - and haven't slacked on that side of the game, but with the ball there's greater fluidity, movement and freedom than ever before.

It has been a tactical reinvention best summed up by their quarter-final triumph over

Morocco

. Four years ago the two met at the semi-final stage, with France winning 2-0 but managing just three shots on target. It was a match which was nothing if not unremarkable. This time around, the scoreline may have been the same but the French dominated the Atlas Lions, back with a sustained, inventive onslaught. The result was never in doubt and they were only denied a greater victory by Mbappe's penalty failure and Yassine Bounou’s resolute display, as he made eight saves across the 90 minutes.

“My credit goes to the players but maybe I do my job well,” said Deschamps post-match.

Certainly he does, not least with Mbappe and his maturation as captain, a decision undertook by Deschamps when Hugo Lloris quit in January 2023. At the time it was controversial to make Mbappe the side’s unquestioned leader, with Antoine Griezmann - who made public his dissatisfaction after a decade of loyal service to Deschamps - overlooked.

Mbappe's ascendency became a question of national debate but this summer, the

Real Madrid

superstar has fully vindicated his selection both with his on-field performances and also the ease with which he has handled an occasionally tricky French media, as well as his off-field messaging and mentorship to some of France’s younger players.

“I’ve been world champion and I’ve been runner-up, and this team is neither one nor the other,” he said after the win over Morocco. “As it stands it’s not the best team I’ve played in, but it might be the one with the most potential, the one with which we can look to the future more easily. This is a team that we can dream with, although the best teams are those who win.”

Mbappe has embodied everything that Deschamps has wanted to see at these finals and he is desperate to send his coach out in the best possible way.

“The best way to pay tribute to him is to win, because he loves winning,” said Mbappe ahead of the tournament. “So we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he has the best possible World Cup.”

So far so good. Now, against the reigning European champions, we’ll see if this much-vaunted French side can continue to make good on that promise.