Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 3:48 PM• Jonathan van Haaster • Last update: 15:54

Antoine Griezmann is not happy with the decision of national coach Didier Deschamps to pass him as the new captain of France. That reports Le Figaro. Deschamps confirmed on Tuesday that the choice has fallen on Kylian Mbappé, while Griezmann becomes second captain. The 32-year-old attacker of Atlético Madrid had hoped to wear the band given his experience. Griezmann would, according to L’Equipe even consider stopping at les Bleusalready speaks RMC Sports that news.

Deschamps finds the choice for Mbappé ‘legitimate’ due to his exceptional performances of recent times. “He meets everything to take responsibility,” explains the choice lord. “On the field and off it, he is a key figure.” The Paris Saint-Germain striker made a big impression at the World Cup in Qatar by scoring no less than eight goals, which earned him the top scorer title. His performance in the final against Argentina was particularly striking. With a hat-trick, he ensured that the game went to penalties, which the Argentines would eventually take better.

However, Griezmann believes that given his experience and loyalty to Deschamps, he was a better candidate. After the World Cup in Qatar, Hugo Lloris and Raphaël Varane decided to retire from the national team. That duo was respectively the first and second captain under Deschamps, who therefore had to look for a new frontman. At 24, Mbappé is significantly younger than Griezmann, who is so disappointed with Deschamps’ choice that, according to L’Equipe seriously considering putting an end to his international career.

Griezmann was also one of the candidates for the captaincy, but the choice fell on the PSG attacker. Griezmann came to 117 international matches to date, in which he scored 42 hits. Mbappé scored 36 goals in 66 matches. Both players were instrumental in winning the World Cup in 2018 and reaching the World Cup final four years later. France will take on the Dutch national team on Friday in the context of the European Championship qualification. The French will take on Ireland on Monday.