The return of N'Golo Kante made headlines on Thursday night when France manager Didier Deschamps revealed his 25-man squad for Euro 2024 on live television.
N'Golo Kante, who turned 33 in March, has not played for France for nearly two years. He missed most of the club's 2022/23 season due to injury, which forced him to miss the World Cup in Qatar as well, but Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia this season has fully recovered.
The former Chelsea midfielder was part of the 2018 World Cup-winning France squad after reaching the final in their first international match at Euro 2016.
Kylian Mbappe is the captain of the team, while the 37-year-old Olivier Giroud, who leaves Europe for LAFC in July, will look to extend his record as France's all-time top scorer. Most of the team is the same as the team that traveled to Qatar in 2022, but Warren Zaire Emery and the uncapped Bradley Baccola will play in the senior tournament for the first time.
France 25-man squad - Euro 2024
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Blaise Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Klaus (Marseille), Pavard (Inter Milan), Ibraham Konate (Liverpool), Saliba (Arsenal), Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Hernandez (AC Milan), Edouard Mendy (Real Madrid))
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssef Fofana (Monaco), Adrian Rabiot (Juventus), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Kante (Etihad)
Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Randall Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
France will play warm-up friendlies against Luxembourg and Canada in Metz and Bordeaux before crossing the border to Germany for the tournament. Their Group D opener will be against Austria on 17 June, followed by the Netherlands and Poland. As finalists for the 2022 World Cup, France are one of the favourites. But France have not won the European Championship since Deschamps lifted the trophy as a player in 2000.