Didier Deschamps belongs to an elite trio who have claimed football’s most prestigious trophy both on the pitch and from the touchline, sharing the distinction with Mario Zagallo of Brazil and Franz Beckenbauer of West Germany.
His extended tenure at the helm is highly unusual in the modern game — spanning 14 years in charge of the national side.
Across 26 World Cup fixtures as France’s head coach, he celebrated victory 20 times and tasted defeat on just three occasions — one of those being the recent loss to Spain in Texas.
Whether playing or managing, Deschamps was involved in more than half of all World Cup wins France have ever recorded — and both instances when the nation hoisted the famous trophy.
Prior to this tournament, just three sides in history had progressed to the quarter-final stage in four consecutive editions of the event.
They were beaten on penalties by Argentina in the 2022 showpiece, agonisingly close to becoming only the third nation to successfully defend the title.
Greater outcomes may have been anticipated from a squad boasting joint-leading scorer Kylian Mbappe, Ballon d’Or recipient Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich’s emerging talent Michael Olise, operating in front of an experienced defensive unit and midfield.
“There was extra motivation for all the players at this World Cup to give Didier the ending he wanted, and deserved,” said former France forward and media analyst Olivier Giroud.
“He deserved to exit by the big door. He did not quite manage that but he is still a great, for what he has already done in his 14 years.
“His record does the talking for him.”
Giroud, who lifted the 2018 World Cup under Deschamps, added: “I think he is like a second father for some players, like a second dad.
“For me it was not quite like that, but he gave me so many times his confidence, and I tried to repay him on the pitch.
“This makes us very close and because we won that World Cup, we are linked forever.
“I always call him coach.
“When you are in the national team, you don’t have much time to work on tactics and each manager has their philosophy.
“For Didier, his was more like ‘you are big players, I leave you some freedom on the pitch’. He gave some instructions too of course, to keep the balance, so you always knew where each player would be.
“The biggest thing he taught us was his desire, and his drive and ambition to be the absolute best and to win every single game. His competitive mindset was so clear.”
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