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Deschamps: Yamal is an extraordinary player, Mbappe did things like Yamal when he was 18 years old

11:11am, 5 June 2025【Football】

June 4th, French coach Deschamps was interviewed by Theathletic, talking about Douai and Paris who performed well in the Champions League final, as well as Spain, the opponents of the European League semi-finals.

Talking about Douai's outstanding performance

Deschamps: I was not surprised. He moved from Rennes to Paris Saint-Germain, and he performed well when he was in Rennes, and in Paris he needed to cross multiple steps and he managed to cross all the steps.

I called him into the French national team. I know he has potential, and obviously I have also learned about his personality and other aspects. At his age, he can perform like this in the Champions League final and do a pretty job. This means he will come to report with a bright smile!

He has the ability to break through his opponents, and he also has the ability to cover a large number of areas, which is not always available to players with his traits. That's why he can play both offensive positions and midfield.

And he is very young. He turns 20 this Tuesday. His achievements were not accidental. Everything has been carefully planned and laid out. And that's exactly what you need. This is indispensable in a big club. He accomplished all the things he needed to do, but he wasn't lying on the credit book. He had a great start. Now he has to keep this state for a long time.

When talking about the possible impact of this victory in the Champions League final on the French national team

Deschamps: I am not complaining about the players I have, but Ashraf is not a Frenchman, Marginhos is not a Frenchman, Pacho is not a Frenchman, Vitinia is not a Frenchman, and all the preferred midfielders are not a Frenchman. Kvaratskhlia is Georgian. You can't copy and paste these things, even if they do it very well. This system works very well and proves that Enrique is correct. Is it possible to copy? Yes. Is the same time in time? No. Much less time.

Talking about semi-final opponents Spain and Yamal

Deschamps: Yamal is one of those extraordinary players, and you will only encounter two or three such players in the same period. He showed his talent one after another, and he was still very young. But taking other players as an example, Mbappe is older, but he also did things like Yamal when he was 18 years old. They are extraordinary talents, as the Italians say, extraordinary players, who can leave a mark on football at a very young age with their own actions.

Talking about outside criticism

Deschamps: All outside voices are neither important nor have any impact to me, but I feel that despite our achievements, the media environment is too negative, which may have an impact on the players. I don't think they should bear this. I don't know if my announcement will help with that, it's not the fundamental purpose, but that's what we do.

Talking about tactical choices

Deschamps: Some of the choices I made in the UEFA qualifiers did not work for me, but I think that the young players must be given playing time at this moment to exercise them. After the World Cup, these things will have nothing to do with me. But I regard this as a responsibility and need to prepare for the near future rather than the distant future.