Already a World Cup winner as player and manager, Didier Deschamps could write another incredible chapter in his footballing story on Sunday, in potentially his last game in charge of France.
Les Bleus could become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy, with Deschamps aiming to be the first coach since 1938 to guide his nation to two World Cup successes.
The 54-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the tournament and whatever happens in Sunday’s final against a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, Deschamps’ place in French footballing folklore is assured.
‘Never anything more than a water carrier’
Deschamps had a glittering playing career with spells in France, Italy, England and Spain and was regarded as one of the game’s finest defensive midfielders.
But not everyone was a fan.
“Deschamps gets by because he gives 100%, but he’ll never be anything more than a water carrier – you find players like him on every street corner,” said former France team-mate Eric Cantona in an interview in September 1996.
“How many players can you find on street corners who have won two European Cups?” responded Deschamps, referencing his Champions League final wins with Marseille in 1993 and Juventus in 1996.
By the time he retired in 2001, he had played in four Champions League finals (and been an unused substitute as Valencia lost in 2001), and had won five domestic championships (two with Marseille and three with Juventus) as well as the Coppa Italia with Juventus and the FA Cup with Chelsea.
He gained 103 international caps, captaining France as they won their first World Cup in 1998 followed two years later with victory at Euro 2000.
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Deschamps’ team-mate Marcel Desailly, speaking to the BBC for the documentary How To Win The World Cup, said: “Didier has been my captain of all my teams and you could see he was a natural leader.”
An obsession to succeed and excellent man-management skills
A career in coaching was the obvious progression and after spells at Monaco, Juventus and Marseille, Deschamps became France boss in 2012.
After losing in the 2006 World Cup final, 2010 was a disaster for winless France. They finished bottom of their group, with the players refusing to train after a bust-up between manager Raymond Domenech and striker Nicolas Anelka.
World Cup-winning defender Laurent Blanc was next in charge but stepped down after the quarter-final loss to Spain at Euro 2012 – his only tournament.
“There was a lot of respect when Didier took over and we knew with the obsession he had to succeed, he would identify the correct strategy for the national team,” added Desailly.
France, under Deschamps, reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, losing to eventual winners Germany, and made the final of the 2016 Euros they hosted, before Portugal beat them 1-0.
It was clear France were building something special, with Deschamps’ man-management and tactical skills shining through.
In their opening match at the 2018 World Cup, France scraped a 2-1 win over Australia and Deschamps was seen telling his players their opponents had produced twice as many sprints and ran twice as far, with striker Kylian Mbappe highlighted for a lack of effort.
Midfielder Paul Pogba questioned the tactics, saying they were unsure where to attack from and Deschamps replied: “I’m not saying you, I’m saying we and I’m including myself. I will protect each of you, one by one, but you have to act.”
“Didier finds the right words with the right person at the right time – he’s a master at that,” said ex-press officer Philippe Tournon.
“He knows when to get out the stick and when to get out the carrot, whether to soften the blow or rap them on the knuckles.”
They met Sunday’s opponents Argentina in the last 16 in Russia and won 4-3 in a thriller, but Deschamps’ man-management skills were again tested afterwards.
Some of the players had gone out, returned in the early hours, noisy and boisterous, waking up those sleeping when defender Adil Rami sprayed a fire extinguisher at them, filling the hotel corridor with steam.
Tournon said: “Of course the smoke detectors went off, waking the whole hotel. My room was next to Didier’s and I thought he was ready to tear them apart.
“Didier had a word and, with his sixth sense of his relationship with the players and the unity of the group, told me ‘if I lay into them it might break something we’ve been building for five or six weeks’.”
France then beat Uruguay and Belgium before a 4-2 win over Croatia gave Deschamps a World Cup success as both player and manager.
In the celebrations, Pogba, while pointing at Deschamps, was seen shouting at the camera “he is the star, it’s him, the star is on his head”.
‘A team stronger than the individuals’
France came into the 2022 World Cup facing questions after failing to win four games in June and with Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema picking up an injury.
Striker Benzema joined injured midfielders Pogba and N’Golo Kante, who both started the 2018 final, on the sidelines, yet France have been able to cope without the trio.
Mbappe has five goals, 36-year-old Olivier Giroud has four, while Antoine Griezmann, operating in a deeper role, has three assists and created the most opportunities in the competition.
France’s 4-2-3-1 formation has allowed Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele to attack from the wide positions, while Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni have provided the midfield platform in the absence of Pogba and Kante.
France qualified for the last 16 with a game to spare and their only difficult moment came in the second half of the quarter-final with England, before Giroud scored a late winner.
“Didier has created a team that’s stronger than the individuals, which maybe wasn’t always the case,” said England boss Gareth Southgate.
A 2-0 win over Morocco took them into their fourth World Cup final in seven tournaments.
French football journalist Julien Laurens, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, added: “Deschamps is doing an incredible job.
“This team is very similar to the team that won in 2018 – because it’s the same coach.
“They could play better, but Deschamps has made them a ruthless winning team. That’s all they care about. It’s all about winning.”