£120 Million and £90 Million, two world record price tags for two French footballers in Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, price tags that teams are trying to match. While these numbers may seem rare, the trend with French footballers in the recent past is such that most of the players part of the squad of the French national football team are some of the highest priced footballers in Europe.
This should give out an idea about the meteoric rise in French football talent across Europe. For a long time, Spain dominated the international football competitions, followed by Germany and now it looks like the time for France has arrived.
Club competition
The scene of European club football also draws a similar picture; most top teams boast Frenchmen in their ranks. For instance, the last two years' Champions League winners in Real Madrid have Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema in their midst while Manchester United have Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. These are just some of the examples, teams across Europe have been busy in acquiring French football players for their clubs, irrespective of the price tags set on these players.
In the recent past, Arsenal signed Alexandre Lacazette for £46.5 Million, and Chelsea acquired Tiemoue Bakayoko for £40 Million. The summer transfer season of 2016 saw the transfer of Paul Pogba to Manchester United with a world record fee of £89.3 Million.
Football in France
Any English football fan will tell you that club competitions and national leagues are rarely indicators of success for national sides and the same goes for French football. However, unlike the English national team, French footballers have not only made their mark on their respective clubs but have also announced their arrival at the international scene with France reaching the final of the Euro 2016 competition. Players have risen to the task of matching up to the hopes of an entire nation and expectations are constantly growing.
While there is a long way to go towards establishing dominance, the performances of AS Monaco FC and Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the UEFA Champions League indicate that France is more than ready to hold its own across European competitions. And as for the national team of France, if the friendly games and world cup qualifiers give out any clues, we can safely assume that the French football team will be one of the top contenders for the World Cup next year in Russia.