Kylian Mbappe has been named as the new captain of the France national team.
Mbappe succeeds Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who retired from international football in January.
The Paris St-Germain forward has 66 caps for France since making his senior debut in 2017.
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“Kylian meets all the requirements to have this responsibility,” France manager Didier Deschamps said.
“On the field as in the life of the group, by being a unifying element.”
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed Deschamps had named Mbappe as captain and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann as vice-captain on social media on Tuesday.
Mbappe was the top scorer at the World Cup as he helped France reach a second straight World Cup final. France was beaten by Argentina in the final of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He scored two goals in the 2018 final against Croatia and was named as the tournament’s best young player as France were crowned world champions for a second time.
Deschamps’ side play the Netherlands at the Stade de France in their first Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday. France will then face the Republic of Ireland on Monday.
Kevin De Bruyne feels honoured
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne said on Tuesday he was “honoured” to be named Belgium captain following Eden Hazard’s retirement from international football.
The Red Devils coach Domenico Tedesco chose playmaker De Bruyne for the position after Real Madrid’s Hazard, who turned 32 in January, ended his Belgium career following last year’s World Cup.
Tedesco, has called up 19-year-olds Zeno Debast and Romeo Lavia to what was an ageing squad.
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“It’s an honour for me to be named and represent the country in this way,” De Bruyne told RTL-TVI television.
“I’m almost 32. I’ve never considered international retirement. I think I can still bring something to the table and help the youngsters,” he added.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Chelsea attacker Romelu Lukaku will be De Bruyne’s vice-captains.
De Bruyne was one of the players criticised after Belgium was knocked out in the group stage in Qatar.
He has played 97 games for Belgium scoring 25 goals and will make his debut as a skipper in Sweden on Friday in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
They will also face Austria, Azerbaijan and Estonia in the campaign for the tournament held in Germany next summer.
