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List of France national football team captains

The France national football team (French: Equipe de France) represents the nation of France in international association football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation (FFF) (French: Fédération Française de Football) and competes as a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The team played its first official international match on 1 May 1904 against Belgium.[1][2] Since its first competitive match, more than 800 players have made at least one international appearance for the team.[3] Of them, 105 have served as captain of the national team. This list contains football (soccer) players who have served as captain of the France national team and is listed according to their number of matches captained. They are black

The France national team's record appearance-maker as captain is Didier Deschamps, who led the team out 52 times during his 103-cap tenure, which lasted through three decades. Deschamps is also the most successful France captain, having worn the armband, an indicator of the team's captain, in team victories at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000.[4] The Bayonne-born midfielder surpassed the previous record-holder of the France captaincy, midfielder Michel Platini, in the team's semi-final match at the latter competition. Platini became the first France captain to win a major international competition after leading the team in the 1984 European Football Championship. Aside from Deschamps and Platini, only three other players have captained France on over 40 occasions: defenders Roger Marche and Marcel Desailly, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Marche is one of two French captains to lead the team at two FIFA World Cup competitions. Desailly captained the team to victories at the 2001 and 2003 editions of the FIFA Confederations Cup. He is one of four players to be sent off in a FIFA World Cup final, one of the other three being fellow France captain Zinedine Zidane. Lloris captained France to victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and to the final of UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

History

The first captain of the France national team was Fernand Canelle, who captained the national team in its first international match against Belgium on 1 May 1904.[5][6] Canelle went on to captain France only once more in a 7–0 defeat to Belgium in 1905.[7] The team's next captain was Pierre Allemane, who had previously captained a team representing France at the 1900 Summer Olympics. However, this occurred when the team was under the supervision of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), a federation sports union that supported amateur sport. Under the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) governing body, Allemane is the only French player to wear the armband in all of his national team appearances.[8] Aside from Canelle and Allemane, Gaston Barreau, René Bonnet, Étienne Jourde, and Robert Lemaître are the only other players to ever captain the national team on their debuts.[9][10][11] Bonnet's captaincy is notable due in part to the fact that it was his only appearance with the national team.[12] The first player to captain France in a major international competition while playing under FIFA was André François. He led the team at the football tournament in the 1908 Summer Olympics and captained France to the worst loss in national team and competition history, a 17–1 loss to Denmark.[13] One of the first permanent captains of the national team was Jean Ducret.[14] He captained the team 13 times between 1910 and 1914.[15]

"There’s nothing more beautiful than the national team and I appreciated every cap, be it the first, 50th or 100th. But yes, my proudest moment is that victory and that team, because we could overcome any obstacle, hated defeat and always stepped onto the pitch to win. It was a privilege to captain that team."

Didier Deschamps on captaining the France team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[16]

Alexandre Villaplane captained France in its first FIFA World Cup match in 1930 and went on to captain the team in the entire tournament.[17] Maurice Cottenet was the first goalkeeper to captain the national team. Alex Thépot was the second and bore the armband at the 1934 FIFA World Cup.[18] The team's first captain after World War II was Alfred Aston. Aston captained the team for the first time in its first match following the conclusion of the war, a 3–1 win over Belgium on Christmas Eve 1944, and subsequently led the team out six more times. Following Aston, the captaincy was rotated among striker Jean Baratte and defenders Roger Marche and Robert Jonquet. Marche and Jonquet alternated the armband at the 1954 and 1958 editions of the FIFA World Cup. Following the retirement of Baratte, Marche took primary control of the captaincy and guided the team until his international retirement in 1960. The former Stade de Reims defender held the record of captaining France the most until he was surpassed by Michel Platini in 1986. Platini is the first France captain to lead the team to victory in a major international competition. He accomplished this feat at UEFA Euro 1984. In 2000, Platini was surpassed by Didier Deschamps, who captained France to its first FIFA World Cup title in 1998.[19] Deschamps surpassed Platini during UEFA Euro 2000 in the team's semi-final match against Portugal. France won the match, 2–1. In the final, France defeated Italy, giving Deschamps his second major honour as captain.[20] Deschamps was succeeded by Marcel Desailly, who ranks second in captaining France the most. Desailly captained France to victory at both the 2001 and 2003 editions of the FIFA Confederations Cup.[21][22]

From 2004 to 2010, when Raymond Domenech managed the national team, the captaincy regularly alternated between Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane. The former player was given the captaincy first, but handed it over to Zidane when he returned to the team in 2005.[23][24] Zidane subsequently wore the armband at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and became the first French captain and just the fourth player in association football history to be sent off in a World Cup final match.[25][26] Former teammate and captain Marcel Desailly is one of the other three.[27] Following Zidane's retirement, Vieira was designated captain of the team for its UEFA Euro 2008 campaign, however, injuries hampered his stint as captain and, as a result, defender Lilian Thuram led the team at the competition.[28] The last permanent captain of the team was the national team's all-time leading goalscorer, Thierry Henry. He first captained the team on 6 February 2008 in a friendly against Spain when he was given the armband following the substitution of Vieira.[29] He held onto the captaincy until a month before the 2010 FIFA World Cup following his relegation to a substitute's role. The armband was given to defender Patrice Evra who led the team at the competition.[30] Under manager Laurent Blanc, several players made their debuts as captains of the national team. In August 2010, Philippe Mexès captained the team for the first time.[31] The following month, Florent Malouda made his debut as captain.[32] In November, Hugo Lloris became the ninth goalkeeper in national team history to wear the armband. Kylian Mbappé is now captain as of March 21, 2023.

Captains

Appearances and matches captained are composed of FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Football Championship, FIFA Confederations Cup, and pre-World Cup Summer Olympics matches and each competition's required qualification matches, as well as numerous international friendly tournaments and matches. Players are initially listed by number of matches captained, followed by number of international caps attained. If the number of matches captained and the number of caps earned are equal, then the player who captained the national team first is listed first. Statistics correct as of 26 March 2024.

Key
§
Still active for the national team[nb 1]
†
Captained the team at a major international tournament[nb 2]
GKGoalkeeper
DFDefender
MFMidfielder
FWForward
Hugo Lloris holds the record for most captaincies with France and has captained them to victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Michel Platini captained France to victory at UEFA Euro 1984.
Marcel Desailly captained France national football team to victory at both the 2001 and 2003 editions of the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Playmaker Zinedine Zidane captained France to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final.
Lilian Thuram captained France at UEFA Euro 2008.
Laurent Blanc has captained France nine times.
Eric Cantona captained France from 1993 to 1995.
Patrick Vieira captained France infrequently from 2004 until retirement.
Thierry Henry was the national team's captain from 2008 to 2010.
List of France national team football players who have served as captain of the team
RankPlayerPositionNational team
career		Caps as captainTotal capsFirst captaincyRef
1Hugo LlorisGK2008–202212114517 November 2010[33]
2Didier DeschampsMF1989–2000†5410322 March 1994[34]
3Michel PlatiniMF1976–1987†50725 September 1979[35]
4Marcel DesaillyDF1993–2004†491166 September 1995[21]
5Roger MarcheDF1947–1959†42634 June 1950[36]
6Manuel AmorosDF1982–1992†308218 November 1987[37]
7Zinedine ZidaneMF1994–2006†261081 September 2001[38]
8Marius TrésorDF1971–1983†24659 October 1976[39]
=Jean DjorkaeffDF1964–1972244830 April 1969[40]
10Thierry HenryFW1997–2010†211236 February 2008[29]
=Patrick VieiraMF1997–2009†211074 September 2004[41]
11Raphaël VaraneDF2013–2022209014 October 2014[42]
12Paul NicolasFW1920–1931†183519 April 1925[43]
13Lilian ThuramDF1994–2008†161429 November 2005[44]
14Étienne MattlerDF1930–1940†144621 January 1934[45]
15Alex ThépotGK1927–1935†133115 March 1931[18]
=Jean DucretMF1910–191413206 April 1910[15]
17Georges BeretaFW1967–197512448 September 1973[46]
=Edmond DelfourDF1929–1938124110 June 1933[47]
=Jean BaratteFW1944–1952123213 November 1949[48]
20Jean-Pierre PapinFW1986–1995115426 August 1992[49]
21Kylian MbappéFW2017–107724 March 2023[50]
=Bernard BosquierFW1964–1972104227 September 1967[51]
=Raymond DublyDF1913–1925†103115 January 1922[52]
24Laurent BlancDF1989–2000†99726 June 1996[53]
=Robert JonquetDF1948–1960†95816 June 1954[54]
=Henri MichelMF1967–19809583 September 1975[55]
=Eric CantonaFW1987–199594517 November 1993[56]
=Alou DiarraMF2004–2012†94422 June 2010[57]
=Christian LopezDF1975–19829392 February 1977[58]
=Franck SauzéeMF1988–199393928 March 1990[59]
=André LerondDF1957–196393112 November 1961[60]
=Marcel ArtelesaDF1963–1966†9219 October 1965[61]
=Lucien GamblinMF1911–19239175 April 1920[62]
34Armand PenverneMF1952–1959†7396 October 1957[63]
=Alfred AstonMF1934–194673124 December 1944[64]
=Marcel LangillerFW1927–193773010 April 1932[65]
=Oscar HeissererMF1936–194872526 May 1945[66]
=Pierre AllemaneDF1905–19087712 February 1905[8]
39Maxime BossisDF1976–198667623 March 1983[67]
=Raymond KopaMF1952–196264528 February 1960[68]
41Luis FernándezMF1982–19925609 September 1987[69]
=Patrick BattistonDF1977–1989†55631 May 1983[70]
=Jean VincentFW1953–1961†54616 March 1960[71]
=Patrice EvraDF2004–2016†54626 May 2010[72]
=Alexandre VillaplaneMF1926–1930†52523 February 1930[73]
=Julien DaruiGK1939–195152526 May 1947[74]
=Robert HerbinDF1960–196852318 April 1965[75]
=Henri BardDF1913–1923†51818 January 1920[76]
49Franck LeboeufDF1995–2002†45027 February 2001[77]
=Jean-Jacques MarcelMF1953–196144411 December 1960[78]
=Jules DewaquezFW1920–192944124 April 1927[79]
=Pierre BernardGK1960–196542125 December 1963[80]
=Claude QuittetDF1967–197341613 October 1972[81]
=Louis MesnierMF1904–191341423 March 1911[82]
=Henri PavillardMF1928–193241418 May 1930[83]
=Albert BatteuxMF1948–19494827 April 1949[84]
57Antoine Griezmann§FW2014–312725 September 2022[85]
=Fabien BarthezGK1994–200638718 August 2004[86]
=Eric AbidalDF2002–201336116 November 2007[87]
=Bernard LamaGK1993–200034416 August 1995[88]
=François HuguesDF1919–19273242 April 1923[89]
=Jules VandoorenDF1933–194232213 December 1936[90]
=Marcel DomergueMF1922–192832011 April 1926[91]
=Yvon DouisFW1957–196532029 September 1963[92]
=Jean ProuffMF1946–194931723 April 1949[93]
=Jean-Michel LarquéMF1969–197631424 April 1976[94]
=Robert BudzynskiDF1965–196731128 September 1966[95]
68William GallasDF2002–201128419 November 2008[96]
=Philippe MexèsDF2002–201222911 August 2010[97]
=Presnel Kimpembe§DF2018–2286 June 2022[98]
=René FerrierMF1958–19642244 October 1964[99]
=Éric Di MecoDF1989–199622311 October 1995[100]
=Maurice CottenetGK1920–192721822 March 1925[101]
=Gaston BarreauMF1911–191421230 April 1911[9]
=Étienne JourdeFW1910–1914283 April 1910[10]
=Fernand CanelleDF1904–1908261 May 1904[102]
=Daniel EonGK1966–19672322 March 1967[103]
78Sylvain WiltordFW1999–200619231 May 2005[104]
=Florent MaloudaMF2004–20121803 September 2010[105]
=Robert PiresMF1996–2004†17920 June 2003[106]
=Jean TiganaMF1980–198815216 June 1987[107]
=Alain GiresseMF1974–198614728 March 1984[108]
=Roger PiantoniFW1952–196113727 November 1957[109]
=Georges LechFW1963–197313511 November 1964[110]
=Steve MandandaGK2008–20221356 June 2011[111]
=Samir NasriMF2007–201313525 March 2011[112]
=Bruno MartiniGK1987–199613127 May 1992[113]
=Antoine CuissardMF1946–195412730 May 1954[114]
=Jean NicolasFW1933–193812524 January 1937[115]
=Alain RocheDF1988–199612522 July 1995[116]
=Philippe BonnardelMF1920–192712316 March 1927[117]
=Roger CourtoisFW1933–194712223 March 1947[118]
=Jean-Marc GuillouMF1974–197811919 May 1978[119]
=Vincent GuérinMF1993–199611915 November 1995[120]
=Roger RioMF1933–193711821 February 1937[121]
=Paul Le GuenMF1993–199511729 March 1995[122]
=Joseph KaucsarMF1931–19341159 June 1932[123]
=Georges VerriestMF1933–19361149 May 1935[124]
=Gabriel HanotDF1908–19191129 March 1919[125]
=André ChardarDF1930–19331125 June 1932[126]
=Marius RoyetFW1904–19081910 May 1908[127]
=Albert JourdaMF1914–1924174 June 1924[128]
=André FrançoisDF1906–19081622 October 1908[129]
=Louis CazalMF1927–19301611 May 1930[130]
=Jacques MairesseDF1927–19341612 June 1932[131]
=Robert LemaîtreDF1953–19541217 December 1953[11]
=René BonnetDF1914118 February 1914[12]

Timeline

TenureIncumbentOthers used when incumbent unavailable
1904–1905Fernand Canelle
1905–1908Pierre AllemaneMarius Royet, André François
1910–1914Jean DucretÉtienne Jourde, Louis Mesnier, Gaston Barreau
1920–1922Lucien GamblinHenri Bard
1922–1925Raymond DublyFrançois Hugues
1925–1930Paul NicolasJules Dewaquez, Marcel Domergue
1930Alexandre Villaplane
1930–1931Henri Pavillard
1931–1933Alex ThépotMarcel Langiller
1933–1938Edmond DelfourÉtienne Mattler, Jules Vandooren
1938–1940Étienne Mattler
1944–1946Alfred Aston
1946–1948Oscar HeissererJulien Darui
1949–1952Jean BaratteRoger Marche
1952–1959Roger MarcheRobert Jonquet, Armand Penverne, Raymond Kopa
1960–1961Jean-Jacques Marcel
1961–1963André Lerond
1965–1966Marcel Artelesa
1967–1969Bernard Bosquier
1969–1972Jean Djorkaeff
1972–1973Claude Quittet
1973–1975Georges Bereta
1975–1976Henri Michel
1976–1979Marius TrésorChristian Lopez
1979–1987Michel PlatiniMarius Trésor, Maxime Bossis, Patrick Battiston
1987–1988Luis FernándezManuel Amoros
1988–1992Manuel AmorosLuis Fernández, Franck Sauzée
1992–1993Jean-Pierre Papin
1993–1995Éric Cantona
1995–2000Didier DeschampsMarcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc
2000–2004Marcel DesaillyZinedine Zidane
2004–2005Patrick VieiraFabien Barthez, Sylvain Wiltord
2005–2006Zinedine ZidanePatrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram
2006–2008Patrick VieiraLilian Thuram
2008Lilian ThuramThierry Henry
2008–2010Thierry HenryPatrick Vieira, Eric Abidal, William Gallas
2010Patrice EvraAlou Diarra
2010–2012RotationAlou Diarra, Hugo Lloris, Eric Abidal, Philippe Mexès, Florent Malouda, Samir Nasri, Steve Mandanda
2012–2022Hugo LlorisBlaise Matuidi, Raphaël Varane, Philippe Mexès, Mamadou Sakho, Olivier Giroud, Presnel Kimpembe, Antoine Griezmann
2023–presentKylian MbappéAntoine Griezmann, Benjamin Pavard

See also

Notes

References

External links

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