According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Thuram is vying for a starting spot in the French national team, aiming to emulate his father's 1998 FIFA World Cup victory.
Thuram smiled easily. Despite the temperature at Belmont University exceeding 32 degrees Celsius at 3 p.m. yesterday, making it difficult to even breathe. The Internazionale forward, wearing a jersey with cut-off sleeves and a fresh haircut, has already completed the "Blues'" first training session at the American university with the French team. In the early hours of July 12, Deschamps' team will face Senegal in their first match of the tournament at MetLife Stadium in New York; they also hope to return here on July 20 for the final. This talented French team was also welcomed by Mayor Michelle Wu upon their arrival at a Boston hotel on Wednesday afternoon, and a photo with Mbappé was naturally a must. In this French team, Thuram is not an absolute starter but is an important chess piece that can change the course of the game.
Since November 2023, Thuram has only scored once, in a friendly against Colombia in late March. Nevertheless, from a tactical perspective, Thuram remains very important. Monday's friendly against Northern Ireland already demonstrated this, as he launched attacks from the left flank, creating many problems for the opposition. However, he was already mentally prepared, as the center-forward position belongs to captain Mbappé. In neither Deschamps' 4-3-3 nor 4-2-3-1 formation is there space for a second striker, preventing him from playing as he does with Lautaro at Internazionale.
So Thuram can only sacrifice himself and keep smiling. Because he has one goal: to avenge the loss to Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final and make the Thuram family the first father-son duo to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy as players.
The French team's training camp yesterday was heavily guarded: no spectators in the stands, journalists had to pass through metal detectors, bags were scanned, and explosive sniffer dogs were working near the parking area. Protective screens were set up around the training ground, separating it from the adjacent field usually used by the Belmont Bruins American football team. There were far fewer fans than at the hotel on Wednesday; they were all kept outside the gate and only saw the bus carrying their beloved players drive by. Thuram watched the reporters by the field with interest but did not enter the mixed zone; Samba and Lacroix were interviewed there. He has already won four trophies with Internazionale, but he still lacks a truly significant international tournament title. As mentioned earlier, he lost the 2022 FIFA World Cup final and then experienced the huge disappointment of losing the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain with Internazionale last year. This summer's trip to the United States, he hopes to celebrate with the same type of glasses as when Internazionale celebrated winning, just as Kobe Bryant did after those great victories. History is beckoning him; after the first failed attempt four years ago, this time the Parma-born forward does not want to make any more mistakes.
Akekala
8
Anything that starts with avenging 3nds up in pain!