Made to become the most capped Frenchman in history on Sunday, tied with Lilian Thuram (142 caps), the 35-year-old goalkeeper had a smooth and regular career from Nice, his hometown, to Tottenham where he has been playing since. 10 years, passing through Lyon, the scene of its outbreak.

Over the years, this child from the Côte d'Azur has above all become the guardian of Clairefontaine, the sacred lair of the French team, which he discovered in 2008, called by Raymond Domenech.

Before being named captain by Laurent Blanc in November 2010, after the Knysna fiasco.

"The boy I was at 23, when I was given the armband, and the man I am today are very different, even if I have kept the same principles", described the doorman in a interview with AFP before his fourth World Cup.

"Stability", "longevity", "calm", "tranquility".

The principles of "Capi" are listed by Raphaël Varane, who assists him in this role: "I have a lot of respect for the player, for the man he is. It's a chance to have this stability in France team, this longevity. He is a very reliable player who transmits his calm, his tranquility", detailed the defender in recent days.

In his absence on Wednesday against Tunisia (1-0 defeat), the Blues also lacked tranquility, and Steve Mandanda did not inspire the same confidence.

"Exemplary"

"For those who know him closely, he is an irreproachable professional, without concession to himself", describes Luc Lloris, his father, to AFP.

The father also underlines a "personal discipline" which "can arouse the adhesion" of partners as well as coaches, "even if it is far from being sought".

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes a save against Denmark during the World Cup on November 26, 2022 at the 974 stadium in Doha © FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Wherever he goes, Lloris thus forges a special relationship with the managers who entrust him with the armband and rely on his leadership of few words.

"He is discreet, but not erased. He is a real leader of men. In the locker room or on the field, when he expresses himself, he does it well, and you listen to him", affirmed before the Euro -2021 Thierry Malaspina, who knew him at the age of 15 as a coach at the Nice training center.

"He is not someone who is very expansive or seeks light," said Didier Deschamps of him, who found in Lloris a privileged relay, a man of confidence.

"When we are given this responsibility of captain, we have a duty vis-à-vis others: to set an example, but also to show leadership", explains Hugo Lloris.

"Honestly, sometimes we don't necessarily need to talk."

"He knows when to send the right message," pointed out Harry Kane, his partner at Tottenham, this summer.

"He's a hard-working, calm but also really passionate guy," noted the England captain, still weaned from the title with Lloris at Spurs.

"He's not hiding"

Hugo Lloris also knows how to compartmentalize.

Discreet with the general public, sometimes even considered too smooth, this father of three children remains in private a man with a strong character, direct and straightforward.

"When there is something ambiguous, it does not hide", assures Luc Lloris.

"At the slightest problem, he will always prefer transparency, a face-to-face meeting".

The 2018 world champion also refuses to mix sports and extra-sports: before the World Cup, he quickly renounces the inclusive "One Love" armband and assumes that he wants to "keep the focus on the game", without extending, even if it means alienate certain associations.

When it comes to the game, however, he does not hesitate to publicly point out the imbalances of the Blues.

"Sometimes you may have to know how to close the game (...) In the past, by playing perhaps a little less well, we were able to win in a slightly different way", is annoyed. he thus in June 2022 after two matches without a win.

Tennis player before football, Lloris did not choose the position of goalkeeper by chance: he retains a certain independence, a certain individualism within the collective.

An autonomy that he also adopts in his career management.

Without an agent or official advisers, even if he can surround himself in certain areas, Lloris negotiates his contracts himself and manages his communication alone, without using social networks.

"I do it that way because that's how I feel the most comfortable," he explains.

"I need to master what I do in and out of football."

© 2022 AFP