MY ACCOUNT
Didier Deschamps insisted he and his future are “not the most important thing” as he vowed to make France “even happier” after Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.
The reigning world champions produced another ruthless performance to down Morocco 2-0 after goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani in Wednesday’s semi-final clash at Al Bayt Stadium.
Argentina await as France bid to become just the third side to retain their global crown, with the Lusail Stadium showpiece signalling a likely end for Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi and potentially also for Bleus coach Deschamps.
Zinedine Zidane has long been suggested as the successor to Deschamps, whose contract expires after the tournament, but the focus remains for now on success in Qatar.
“I’m always proud when we achieve a result like this. It is great to have got through to the final on Sunday,” Deschamps said at a post-match press conference.
“It wasn’t an easy victory, we showed our quality, experience and team spirit. We had to dig deep even in the challenging moments in the match. As a coach, I’m very proud and pleased with my players.
“I don’t really think about myself, but I can appreciate the fact we have had this success. As for my achievements, I’m not the most important thing here.
“The team is more important than I am. We have the chance of defending our title in the final, so that is a great achievement already.
“But we are going to do everything we can to ensure we, as a team and for our nation, are even happier on Sunday.”
France and Argentina played out a seven-goal thriller at Russia 2018 as Deschamps’ side edged their opponents 4-3 to reach the quarter-finals following Kylian Mbappe’s brace.
Both finalists have been far from their best at times in Qatar, with France losing to Tunisia and battling past England in the quarter-finals, while Argentina fell to a shock group-stage defeat to Saudi Arabia.
Deschamps believes the clash for the biggest prize in the sport will come down to the finest of margins, with both sides facing “a better team than any they have played in the tournament”.
“It is always a battle out there, we saw a very strong Argentina against Croatia, but they had not always been as strong,” he continued.
“We weren’t perfect against England or against Morocco. We could have played better. In a final against Argentina, both teams are playing a better team than they have played in the tournament so far.
“We have two sides with a great deal of quality. The team who makes fewer mistakes will likely win the game; whoever manages to do that will lift the trophy.”
