Les Bleus will open their EURO2024 campaign on Monday, when they head to Düsseldorf to take on Austria. Ahead of that opening clash, Marcus Thuram and Théo Hernandez addressed the media in Paderborn on Sunday and expressed excitement at participating in a major tournament.
“Every time I come to the national team, I try to do the maximum,” expressed Thuram. “I think I’m starting to do a good job… from the moment I’m on the pitch, I’m the happiest man in the world.”
“It’s not just the 11 players on the pitch – there are 25 of us in this group, who must all prepare like they’re starting because we can be called upon at any time. This is my third major tournament and my second EUROs, and I’m trying to be myself as I have done since the first day: helping those who arrive, and taking the advice of my seniors to help the team.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThis summer’s tournament has handed the forward an opportunity to brush shoulders with Olivier Giroud, and Thuram admits he has “a very great admiration for the player.”
“I was still in Clairefontaine as a youth player, and I saw him scoring goals in Ligue 1 and with the national team. Being able to rub shoulders with him on a daily basis is an honour for me; he has achieved so many things with this team.”
Théo Hernandez left no room for misunderstanding when he weighed up just how crucial the Austria clash could be for les Bleus. “I hope that on Monday, we will win [because] this first match is very important,” he declared.
“It’s a competition where there are very good teams – Austria is one of them, and we’re working to head into this first match as well as possible.”
FromTheSpot will provide extensive coverage of Austria v France, and the rest of EURO2024, via our website and X account.