Mike Maignan is the new number 1 under the crossbar in the France national football team. The AC Milan goalkeeper succeeds Hugo Lloris, who retired as an international after the World Cup in Qatar. France will be the first opponent of the Dutch national team in the qualifying series for the European Championship on Friday.
The 36-year-old Lloris, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, played 145 times for the national team, making him the French record international. His last international match was the World Cup final against Argentina, which was lost on penalties.
Maignan, the 27-year-old goalkeeper of AC Milan, has been given the confidence of national coach Didier Deschamps for the time being. “Mike will be number 1,” Deschamps said at Monday’s press conference. The national coach also called on Alphonse Aréola and Brice Samba as keepers.
Deschamps has not yet decided who will be France’s new captain. “I will decide that in the coming days. Something like this must also arise a bit naturally.” Star player Kylian Mbappé, who sometimes also acts as captain at his club Paris Saint-Germain, seems an important candidate.
Source: ANP
