Unfortunate heroes of the 2022 World Cup final, the players of the France team went to Paris, Monday, December 19, at the start of the evening, to greet their supporters, place de la Concorde, after their arrival at the airport. from Roissy.
Several thousand people gathered, in an atmosphere of fervor, to pay tribute to the vice-world champions, beaten by Argentina.
The players and coach appeared on the balcony of the Hotel Crillon at around 8:40 p.m. GMT to greet the large crowd who were waving tricolor flags and chanting "thank you Les Bleus".
They had arrived about two hours before at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport from Qatar.
Supporters wave French flags to welcome the Blues, Place de la Concorde.
© AFP - Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt
Some supporters had perched on lampposts or traffic lights, to try to see the Blues if only by a hair.
The children, the luckiest, had found a perfect place on the shoulders of their parents.
"I had to be there, to thank our Blues for everything they have done so far," said Sandrine Djellas, 53, made up in red and blue.
"Getting together here with everyone is my way of giving them strength," smiles Cheick Touré, a 16-year-old high school student, keen on football, like his friends who came with him this evening to Place de la Concorde.
"To be able to commune even if there is not the final victory. To vibrate together is something unique", said Rabiot at the microphone of French television TF1, before entering the palace.
🏆 #FIFAWorldCup
🇫🇷🙌 Les Bleus given a standing ovation by supporters at Place de la Concorde #beINFWC2022 pic.twitter.com/cm3V2hm71q
— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) December 19, 2022
The day before, the legendary final was played on penalties (4-2) after a crazy scenario: a double from Lionel Messi, the tournament's best player, a hat-trick from Mbappé, top scorer in the competition, and unbreathable extra time (3-3).
To the point of gathering 24 million viewers on TF1, a "historic audience record" for French television.
The France team's plane landed shortly before 8 p.m. on Monday.
The Blues were then transported, with their coaching, aboard a bus to Place de la Concorde.
Armed with signs "Paris loves you", employees of the ADP group had formed a guard of honor.
As they got off the plane, the coach of the Blues, Didier Deschamps, had sketched a smile, just like Olivier Giroud, who wore a necklace of blue-white-red flowers around his neck.
But Kylian Mbappé, his face closed, had rushed into one of the buses parked on the tarmac before reaching the famous Parisian square.
8:18 p.m.… the Blues are there… heading to Concorde (Paris)@RTLFrance pic.twitter.com/YDv5utCwJF
— Julien Fautrat (@Julien_Fautrat) December 19, 2022
With AFP
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