An Era is coming to an end in the French soccer team. The world champion coach in Russia 2018, Didier Deschamps, He will not renew his contract with the French team and after the 2026 World Cup he will leave the position he holds since 2012as anticipated this Tuesday by French media.
As reported by L’Équipe, the 56-year-old coach, who prior to his arrival in The Blues directed to Monaco (2001-2006), Juventus (2006-2007) y Olympique de Marseille (2009-2012), will make his decision official on Wednesday in a television program in which he will also participate Brigitte Macron, wife of the current president of France.
Deschamps, world champion as captain in the edition of France 1998took over as head of his country’s team after the elimination against Spain in the quarterfinals of Euro 2012, which ejected Laurent Blanc of the French bank. And, from there, a period began in which they reaped more joy than sadness.
In addition to the title in Russia 2018, the second star in history for the French after the one that had Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry as main figures in 1998, the blue team was a finalist in the Euro 2016, that lost in an agonizing way against Portugal – Éder’s goal in the 109th minute -, and then had Kylian Mbappé already Antoine Griezmann to the figures who led him to play in two consecutive world finals. And, if it had not been for that saving foot of Back Martínez, Deschamps’ story could have been even more glorious.
It will be 14 consecutive years for Deschamps at the head of the national team when the 2026 World Cup ends, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada and will have the novelty of having 48 teams. This way, He is among the DTs who lasted the longest in office.
Curiously, that record belongs to an Argentinian. It is about Guillermo Stábile, who led the Albiceleste in 123 games between 1939 and 1960. In total, 21 years in which he managed to become champion of the Copa América on six occasions: 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955 and 1957.
Second on that list is Mohammad Anwar Elahee, coach of the modest Mauritius national team for 18 years between 1970 and 1988. Among his contemporaries are Oscar Washington Tabarez y Joachim Low, who were between 2006 and 2021 at the head of the Uruguayan and German teams respectively, and also the Danish Morten Olsen (2000-2015).
English also surpasses Deschamps Walter Winterbottom (1946-1962), the South African April Styles Phumo who led Lesotho between 1979 and 1995 and the Italian Giampaolo Mazza -from 1998 to 2013 in charge of San Marino-.
Deschamps, an outstanding central midfielder who, in addition to his achievements with his country’s national team, was a Champions League champion with Olympique de Marseille in the 1992-93 season and Juventus in 1995-96, won the UEFA Nations League in 2021 and had to manage several tense moments off the court.
For example, the affair that affected in 2015 Matthew Valbuena and for which Karim Benzema He was convicted as an accessory to attempted blackmail. In addition, he survived the fall in 2023 of Noël Le Graët, the president of the French Football Federation who had hired him in 2012. Le Graët resigned after a series of accusations of moral and sexual harassment. Now, the DT will have a little more peace of mind. At least until I get back to work.