Who will replace Hugo Lloris as France captain after goalkeeper retires?

Paris Saint-Germain’s prolific forward Kylian Mbappé would be taking on “a huge responsibility” if he becomes the new France captain, after Hugo Lloris retired from international football. That is the verdict of the club’s head coach Christophe Galtier, who steered clear of either recommending the role to Mbappé or putting any pressure on national coach Didier Deschamps.

Captain Mbappé to lead France to glory?

At the age of 24, Mbappé has already won 66 caps for Les Bleus, scoring 36 goals in the process. He won the World Cup in 2018 and scored a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final but painfully finished on the losing team. Mbappé appears an obvious candidate, but he may not aspire to the captaincy, which Lloris held for 10 years.

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is another strong contender for the role, according to reports in France, having served as vice-captain at the World Cup.

Galtier said on Tuesday: “I’m not the national team coach. I’m not going to get involved in the France captain discussion. Sometimes, the France captain is of a certain age with a certain number of caps.

“Kylian Mbappé has got many under his belt and many incredible performances. I haven’t spoken to Kylian Mbappé about whether he will be the France captain or not. Of course, that is a huge responsibility. It is not me who will decide who the captain will be. Even without the armband, he is a leader.”