The star striker of Paris SG and the Blues chained all smiles for half an hour photographs and autographs, on jerseys, posters or on a copy of L'Equipe crossed on the front page of the title "Captain Mbappé".
"We can't do better!" exclaimed one child after having his picture taken alongside his idol.
Not far from him, the coach Didier Deschamps also exchanged with the supporters present (guests of the partners of the federation, families of the players, about fifty young licensees of the club of Epernon in Eure-et-Loir), lending themselves to the game of autographs and photos, like the other players.
"There is still a training," joked the technician, pressed for requests but forced to end the meeting after about thirty minutes.
Once the crowd bath was over, the three goalkeepers and twenty outfield players took part in training on the lawn of the Pierre-Pibarot stadium in Clairefontaine.
The Blues participated in an opposition on a small field, in front of small cages, without a goalkeeper. Adrien Rabiot and Jules Koundé returned warm earlier for the sake of recovery, two days after high-intensity matches (Inter-Juve and Barça-Real), according to the staff.
This is the first real collective session for the French, gathered in their training center of Yvelines for the qualifying matches for Euro 2024 against the Netherlands, Friday, and the Republic of Ireland, Monday.
On Monday, the majority of the group was content with a jog. Only Alphonse Areola, Olivier Giroud, Aurélien Tchouameni, Marcus Thuram and Ibrahima Konaté had donned the cleats for more advanced exercises. Six players, including Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and Mike Maignan, remained in the gym.
Les Bleus during a training session in Clairefontaine, March 21, 2023 © FRANCK FIFE / AFP
The France team, beaten on December 18 by Argentina in the final of the World Cup, resumes competition Friday in Saint-Denis against the Netherlands for the start of qualifying for Euro 2024.
© 2023 AFP