Deschamps names France captain for Iceland clash in Mbappé's absence
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
France head coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed that AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan will captain Les Bleus in the upcoming fixture against Iceland. This decision follows the injury sustained by Kylian Mbappé during the match against Azerbaijan (3-0).
In that encounter, when Mbappé was forced to leave the field, it was Maignan who first took on the captain's armband and steered the team to the final whistle. As Deschamps noted on Téléfoot, the choice was straightforward:
“Mike will be the captain. He already showed leadership when Kylian went off and handled the responsibility brilliantly,” said the coach.
It's worth noting that this will be a landmark moment for Maignan: for the first time in his 36 appearances, he will start a match as the national team captain. The clash against Iceland is scheduled for Monday, October 13, with kickoff at 20:45 Central European Time.
