Hugo Lloris

Hugo Lloris admits the World Cup semi-final against Morocco took a lot out of the players but he believes they have enough left in the tank for Argentina.

We will have to put all the assets on our side for Sunday. "We were strong. It's a second final in four years.

Hugo Lloris has been the French team captain for over a decade. His leadership is on the cusp of making them repeat World Cup champions.

Against Morocco, Lloris pulled level with Germany's Manuel Neuer on 19 games, In Sunday's final against Argentina he will set a new record.

Former France stars Fabien Barthez and Thierry Henry both made 18 World Cup appearances during their respective careers - the previous French record. Lloris made his World Cup debut at South Africa 2010 and has been an undisputed starter in the French goal since then. France goalkeeper Hugo Lorris has already set one record at Qatar 2022 and this weekend, he will set another.

Hugo Lloris will lead France into the World Cup Final for the second time after Les Bleus beat Morocco 2-0 in Wednesday night's semi-final in Qatar.

Hugo denied Azzedine Ounahi from distance and then got a fingertip to keep out Jawad El Yamiq's spectacular overhead kick, via the post, in the first half. If successful, he will also become the first captain to lift the trophy in successive tournaments. History beckons for our captain and France's most-capped player.

If he wins the World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday, Lloris will retire as France's greatest ever goalkeeper.

If Sunday is his last game for his country, he will go down as France’s best goalkeeper and become, along with Mbappé and the other players who were in the squad in 2018, part of a group that has won two World Cups – the first Europeans to do so since Italy won successive titles in 1934 and 1938. France built their reputation early in the tournament as an unstoppable attacking force led by Mbappé, but they have become far more parsimonious and physicalin the knockout stage, with a sprinkling of magic from their longtime captain when required. France’s left flank looked wobbly due to the absence of Rabiot, the inexperience of Konaté and Fofana, the lack of rigour in Theo Hernandez’s play at times, the need to give Mbappé as long a leash as possible, and – credit where credit is due – the superb interplay between Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech. Coincidentally, France’s next match was against Argentina and even if Lloris remained on the bench with Steve Mandanda getting the start, the die was cast for a player who has been quietly excellent for his country ever since, especially in this tournament. The grim reality was that Raymond Domenech had overstayed his welcome and was truly a spent force by that point – a manager caught between generations in terms of talent while also hamstrung by his own superstitions. [the praises of Kylian Mbappé](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/09/project-mbappe-the-making-of-frances-football-superstar) and his sublime technical ability made all the difference against Morocco, even if his doggedness did not show up on the scoresheet.

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris praised Morocco's efforts after Les Bleus defeated the Atlas Lions 2-0 in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

He continued, "We started well and scored, then we misbehaved and were unable to score a second goal. We have to prepare for it. Lloris said, in televised statements after the match: “We suffered in front of a great team.

Lloris made his France debut in 2008 and became the most-capped player in national team history with 143 appearances.

He’s the only sportsperson I had a poster of and I was a huge fan. He’s one of the best players in the history of the French national team,” Lenglet was quoted by stadiumastro. Lloris’ compatriot xxx Lenglet would say earlier in the week: “To all French people, he’s a legend because he’s a very good person, a very good professional, an amazing goalkeeper. I try to play once a year when I’m on holiday,” he told the broadcast. But from there to imagining a career, I was a long way off but I had to make a choice at the age of 10. It was the English media in fact, forever in a hurry to bury premiership reputations, that had called Lloris the Achilles heel of France, the weak link. The boss of the restaurant, who was also an amateur goalkeeper, said to me instantly, ‘you have to go and play football’ and that’s how things started.” And then when I started to walk, with my very first steps, I had a racket in my hand. Hugo Lloris will provide the answer on the pitch, as he had promised at a press conference, ” RMC wrote. Lloris made his France debut in 2008 and became the most-capped player in national team history with 143 appearances. The group is shocked by the tabloids which make captain Hugo Lloris the weak link in the France team.” Not too enamored by the Tottenham Hotspur keeper, the English press had identified the 35-year-old as weak. When the casual condescension cascaded, the youngsters in the French squad were apparently so staggered that their captain was being targetted that they found it surreal, and responded with an added edge on the field.