The boss of the Blues, Didier Deschamps, achieves a rare double: world champion as a player, then as coach. The crowning of a huge career. Interview with the interested, some time after the coronation of the team of France in this World Cup 2018.
Didier Deschamps took "expensive" Sunday after the success of his team. Thrown in the air by his players in the middle of the field, then showered by the torrential rain of the storm that broke out as both teams reached the podium to receive their medals and the Blues World Cup. Not serious! His happiness was total, absolute, perfect.
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"It's so beautiful and wonderful," he whispered at his first words. We did not make a huge game, but we showed some mental qualities. And we put four goals anyway. It is deserved. We started from a distance, it was not always easy, but by dint of work, we are there. It hurt so much for me to lose the Euro in the final two years ago ... But somehow that made us feel good too ... It's the supreme crown. Then in a lyrical outburst, he let go: "We love the French. We are proud to be French, to be Blues. Long live the Republic ! "
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An hour and a half later, (a little) quieter, but barely dried up, he came back on that crazy late afternoon. But when answering a first question, the gang of Blues burst into the interview room screaming, naked torsos, watering DD champagne singing loudly: "We are champions, he is champion, Didier , Didier, Didier Deschamps! Drenched again, falsely annoyed, really moved, he laughed heartily at the farce of his players: "I've already changed three times! It's a bunch of young people, fadas, madmen ... "
Didier, what can we remember from this crazy evening?
France is world champion, we did things better than others ... I had a group very, very young, with 14 players discovering the World Cup. Despite this, the quality was there. My biggest pride is the state of mind. I often talk to them: nothing to let go, never let go of anything. We have some imperfections, we saw it again in this final, we did not do everything well, but we saw our mental qualities. Technical mastery was not enough. We did not have a lot in the first half, but we were leading 2-1. Are we a beautiful champion? It is for four years ...
Your personal story is huge ...
It is linked to that of the players tonight. I had known that as a player, 20 years ago, in France and it is engraved for life. Today, it's so beautiful, so strong. I have a son of 22, he was not old enough to understand in 1998 ... I think of all the young people in France who may have lived this, this happiness ... The players will realize in the coming days, they do not realize it yet. These 23 players will be linked for life, whatever happens, by this event. And from tonight, they will not be the same, because they are world champions, and there will never be anything above.
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You also match the performances of Zagallo and Beckenbauer ...
It makes me happy, it is a very closed circle, it was two better technicians than me, in the field, two beautiful players, I was less beautiful. It's a pride, of course, but I'm happier to see the happiness of my players. Mbappé, he is 19 years old and I wish him to be world champion again one day, but we do not know ... Henry and Trezeguet were also very young champions and they have never been again ...
Who was the most important, Griezmann or the collective?
Antoine has a lot of humility beyond his qualities. He knows that he exists through the collective. Individuals made the difference during this World Cup: Kylian, Paul, Raphael, Samuel ... But the players really did everything together, on and off the field. I am convinced that everything goes through the collective. And to hear them talk about that of themselves is that we are in the right.
You have been a good psychologist ...
A big part of my job is management. It does not happen overnight. The most important choices are for the list of 23. Men's choices to form a group that can go as far as possible. Balances are fragile. In 55 days together, there was not the slightest problem. I could be hard sometimes, but it was for their good. That they were also competitors, I believed, but ... The talent is not enough at the high level, because there are so many opposite.
It was a beautiful World Cup?
I do not know if it was a beautiful one, but it was very hard in terms of intensity. Never seen a World Cup like that, there was a leveling up, small teams were well prepared, with good defensive systems. The teams with the most control have been punished by rapid attacks. If you know how to defend ... We did well, we were not very good in the first round but we knew how to build up.