Deschamps: Third-place match is not a friendly

Didier Deschamps said he will not shed tears as he prepares to manage his final match as coach of the French national football team when they face England on Saturday in Miami in the third-place playoff of the World Cup in North America.

The 57-year-old manager confirmed that the curtain is being drawn for the last time on Sunday morning, noting that he will remain grateful for the 15 years he spent at the helm of the technical staff, during which he experienced both magical and difficult moments, but considers it the best thing that ever happened to him.

Deschamps, who led France to the World Cup title in 2018 and reached the final in Qatar in 2022, had hoped to guide his national team to a third World Cup title, but the loss to European champions Spain in the semi-final dashed those ambitions.

Speaking at his press conference, he said, “No one will cry here, but I know I will miss the French national team. This journey has taken up 15 years of my life, left a permanent mark, and holds unforgettable memories, but the most important thing is the future.”

The former France captain, who lifted the World Cup as a player in 1998, added that his team is not playing the match he had hoped to play in his final appearance, explaining: “We feel disappointed because our ambitions were very high. We must accept the defeat, and now we have this nearby match, after which we will all go on vacation, which we all need.”

Deschamps stressed that the third-place match is not a friendly, stating, “The players, the coaching staff, and I have a duty to give everything we have and achieve this final objective. The English team does not want to play this match, and neither do we, but there is an objective and a match that must be played.”