The head coach faced many planned retirements in the aftermath of the Olympics. Legend Nikola Karabatic had already announced he would end his career after the summer competition, and so had goalkeeper Vincent Gérard. Former vice-captain Valentin Porte ended his international career, as well as left-back Timothey N’Guessan, leaving a lot of changes to be made.
“This is definitely the start of a new cycle and we will need to find a new balance within the team. Players with a lot of experience left, now is the time for some others to step forward even more,” explains Gille. Of course, he expects players like Ludovic Fabregas, Dika Mem and Nedim Remili to be the new stalwarts for France.
But it will also be time for Aymeric Minne or Thibaud Briet, who have been looming around the national team for some time, to finally become regulars. “They both have been showing good things with their clubs, making progress every year. They are definitely part of the new cycle that will lead us to the next Olympics.”
The most visible change will perhaps be the change of captain. Luka Karabatic, aged 36, decided that it might be time for him to let go of the armband, which will now be worn by Ludovic Fabregas.
“We asked ourselves what could be the structure of the team that will lead us to the next Olympics,” explains Gille, whose players voted for Fabregas as the new captain.
“It is not very plausible that Luka will still be there in 2028, and it made sense for everyone to find a new captain. But I want to thank Luka for all he did, and state that he is still very much a part of the national team.”