N’Golo Kante has made a surprising return to the French national team after a two-year absence, as head coach Didier Deschamps revealed his 25-man squad for the upcoming European Championship. The squad, announced on Thursday, will be led by captain Kylian Mbappe.
N’Golo Kante, who had not played for the national team since 2022, joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer from Chelsea and regained his form, playing 41 games this season. “His last selection was in June 2022. What followed was much more complicated for him, with a serious injury that prevented him from playing and certainly from being part of the squad for the World Cup,” Didier Deschamps said during a press conference. “We followed him regularly. He was able to regain all his footballing and athletic ability by playing a lot of matches. The situation was clear in my mind. I took this decision because I believe that the French team will be stronger with him,” he added.
Antoine Griezmann also returns to the squad after missing the March friendlies against Germany and Chile due to injury. Olivier Giroud, who is set to join MLS side Los Angeles FC at the end of the season, is included as well. Among the youngsters, PSG winger Bradley Barcola, 21, is the only debutant. Deschamps praised Barcola’s “ability to make a difference and score goals.” The youngest player in the squad is PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, 18.
PSG defender Lucas Hernandez is the most notable absentee, having suffered a season-ending cruciate ligament tear against Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals. “He’s had a string of injuries, but he’s improved his game, which was mainly attacking. He projects himself a lot less, but he has improved defensively, which was not his strong point. He’s where he belongs,” added Didier Deschamps.
Despite injury concerns, Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman have been called up. Following Hugo Lloris’ international retirement, keeper Mike Maignan, who has 14 caps, will be the first choice over Brice Samba and Alphonse Areola.
France, who were eliminated by Switzerland in the final 16 of Euro 2020, last won the championship in 2000. They will meet Austria in their first Euros group stage game on June 17.
