Antoine Griezmann ‘hurt’ after Kylian Mbappé awarded France captaincy

Griezmann is reportedly 'upset' and 'hurt'

France were without a captain after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris announced his retirement from international football shortly after their World Cup defeat to Argentina on penalties in December.

L'Équipe have reported that after deciding amongst his remaining international stars, Deschamps felt Mbappé was the best option to take on the armband.

However Le Figaro have added that Griezmann has been left frustrated by the decision after he viewed himself as a strong contender to replace Lloris.

The 32-year-old has featured 117 times for France since making his debut in 2014, scoring 32 times and was one of the standout performers at the World Cup in Qatar.

It is believed that Deschamps chose Mbappé over any other suitors due to his personality, performances in Qatar and the fact that he is 24, meaning he will be in and around the international set-up for a significantly longer period than some of the elder names in the squad.

Les Bleus begin their 2024 European Championship qualification campaign against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland where it will become apparent as to whether or not Griezmann still has a large part to play in the squad.

His disproval of not being made captain has reportedly also been made evident in training at the national football centre in Clarefontaine.

Griezmann has also impressed at club level this season with 10 goals and 11 assists from 36 games in all competitions.

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