For the last couple of decades, France have stood out as one of the most multi-ethnic national teams in the world. The current squad is no exception - the vast majority of players selected by Didier Deschamps have foreign background.

Foreign heritage

Only two of the 23 footballers, who have made the final roster, were born abroad. The goalkeeper Steve Mandanda comes from Zaire, an African country which is nowadays called The Democratic Republic of Congo, while Barcelona’s defender Samuel Umtiti was born in Cameroon. One more player, Monaco’s Thomas Lemar, grew up in Guadeloupe, which is an overseas region of France located in the Caribbean.

All other members of Les Bleus were born in the continental part of France, yet most of them have roots in other places. Alphonse Areola is of Philippine heritage, Hugo Lloris is of Catalan origin, Raphael Varane has background in Martinique (another French overseas region), Adil Rami has Moroccan parents, Djibril Sidibe and N’Golo Kante both have their roots in Mali, Benjamin Mendy in Senegal, Lucas Hernandez is of Spanish descent, Paul Pogba was born to Guinean parents, Steven Nzonzi to Congolese parents, Corentin Tolisso has paternal background in Togo, Antoine Griezmann’s ancestors came from Germany, Nabil Fekir has his roots in Algeria.

A few players even have mixed foreign heritage. Presnel Kimpembe has a Congolese father and a Haitian mother, Blaise Matuidi has an Angolan father and a Congolese mother, Kylian Mbappe has a Cameroonian father and an Algerian mother, and Ousmane Dembele tops everyone as he has a mother of Mauritanian and Senegalese origin, and a Mali-born father.


Attacking talent

In fact, we have mentioned almost all members of the French squad, with just a few exceptions. This is the reality, and the multi-ethnic composition of the team is basically a reflection of the present-day French society. “Unity in diversity” - that popular concept, an official motto of the European Union, can be applied to Les Bleus as well.

Not that is has always worked well throughout the recent history. The team has gone through ups and downs, but now France have a good potential. Following the EURO 2016 in their home country, where they finished as runners-up, Les Bleus enjoyed a successful World Cup qualification - despite some frustrating results like a draw with Luxembourg, they topped a competitive group with Sweden, the Netherlands and Bulgaria.

The head coach Didier Deschamps knows what it takes to win the World Cup, as he triumphed with Les Bleus in 1998, and he has been trying hard to transfer his experience to the new generation. In Russia, the French team will heavily rely on their young attacking talents such as Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, Nabil Fekir and Florian Thauvin. Together with more experienced Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, they represent a formidable force, and it will certainly be tough for France’s opponents to hold them back.


Looking for balance

However, France have their shortcomings, too. Many players still lack the necessary experience, and the team is not always as disciplined as Deschamps would like it to be. Another concern for the coaching staff is the back line, as Les Bleus hardly have world-class defenders except Raphael Varane, and Laurent Koscielny’s absence through injury has only worsened the situation. The goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has enough experience, but he may have much work on the pitch. So Deschamps should find the balance and find the right combination of players to reach his goals.

Two years ago, France were close to winning the EURO, but probably they lacked experience in the end. Now many of the footballers have matured, some promising youngsters joined the squad, so Deschamps’ team hopes for a successful campaign. They are certainly capable of progressing from the group with Denmark, Peru and Australia, but it is only the first step. In an ideal world, the multicultural French side would like to go all the way - this is exactly what they did 20 years ago with Didier Deschamps as the team’s captain.