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- The 24-year-old Tchouam茅ni wants to be a leader 鈥渨ho brings people together鈥� but is not interested in turning the captaincy into a popularity contest
- 鈥淥bviously within teams there are some people you get on better with others, the important thing is to respect each other,鈥� he said
BUDAPEST: Real Madrid midfielder Aur茅lien Tchouam茅ni said he will captain France 鈥渨ith a lot of pride鈥� in their Nations League game against Israel in the absence of Kylian Mbapp茅.
The 24-year-old Tchouam茅ni wants to be a leader 鈥渨ho brings people together鈥� but is not interested in turning the captaincy into a popularity contest.
鈥淭o be approved by everyone. What does that mean? Obviously within teams there are some people you get on better with others, the important thing is to respect each other,鈥� he said at a pre-match news conference in Budapest. 鈥淪ome people are liked by everyone in a dressing room, some are less popular. It鈥檚 the same as in any business.鈥�
Tchouam茅ni has made 36 appearances for France and brings his experience to a team lacking their biggest star.
鈥淚 chose him because I think he has the profile to handle this responsibility,鈥� France coach Didier Deschamps said. 鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 still young, he took part in the last World Cup and the last European Championship.鈥�
Mbapp茅, France鈥檚 usual captain, is nursing a minor thigh injury in Madrid.
鈥淚 spoke with Kylian last night, but we didn鈥檛 really talk much about the captaincy,鈥� Tchouam茅ni said. 鈥淲e spoke more about other things.鈥�
Mbapp茅鈥檚 absence from the France team raised questions since he still played for Madrid last weekend. Deschamps accepted the situation given that the club is Mbapp茅鈥檚 employer.
鈥淐lubs have always had this power,鈥� Deschamps said, adding that clubs in general are becoming more 鈥渁ttentive,鈥� given the volume of games that their players must play.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to put players in conflict with their clubs,鈥� Deschamps added.
When asked, Tchouam茅ni assured that Madrid did not ask him to pull out of playing for France.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not the case,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople can interpret things how they like, but all I can say is that there is not a form of pressure from within the club.鈥�
France are also without vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, who surprisingly announced the end of his international career last month after scoring 44 goals in 137 matches.
Griezmann and Mbapp茅 helped lead France to the 2018 World Cup title and were coach Deschamps鈥� most influential players in recent years, along with midfielder Paul Pogba, central defender Rapha毛l Varane and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Varane, Lloris and Olivier Giroud 鈥� France鈥檚 all-time leading scorer with 57 goals 鈥� have all retired from the national team. Tchouam茅ni compared it to a generation ending but said the time was ripe for 鈥渁 new generation to emerge.鈥�
Italy have a three-point lead over France and Belgium in their Nations League group after two rounds. France play Israel on Thursday and travel to Belgium four days later.
A young Deschamps played in midfield when France lost a World Cup qualifier 3-2 at home to Israel in 1993 and subsequently failed to qualify for the World Cup.
A reporter asked Deschamps what he remembered about the match, which he also reminded Deschamps was Israel鈥檚 finest moment in soccer.
鈥淭hank you,鈥� Deschamps responded dryly, before adding that 鈥渋t was far from the happiest鈥� moment in his career as he watched the 1994 World Cup from his living room.