France national under-21 football team
 | |||
| Nickname(s) |
Les Bleuets (The Little Blues) Les Espoirs (The Hopes) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | French Football Federation | ||
| Head coach | Sylvain Ripoll | ||
| Captain | Lucas Tousart | ||
| Most caps | Mickaël Landreau (43) | ||
| Top scorer | Péguy Luyindula (14) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
U23:   Alès, 11 November 1970 U21: .svg.png){kind=small} Amiens, 3 September 1976 | |||
| Biggest win | |||
.svg.png){kind=small} Reims, 16 November 1985 | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Sheffield, 28 February 1984 matches only. | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1982) | ||
| Best result | Winners (1988) | ||
The France national under-21 football team (French: Equipe de France Espoirs), known in France as Les Espoirs (French pronunciation: [ɛs.pwaʁ], The Hopes), is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, under-21 football teams in Europe were formed. The team is exclusively for football players that are age 21 or under at the start of the two-year campaign of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23.
France has won the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship once in 1988. Notable players on the team that went on to play for the senior national team include Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, Franck Sauzée, and Jocelyn Angloma, among others.[1] Blanc was named the tournament's Golden Player.[2] The team's best finish since was in 2002 when the team finished runner-up to the Czech Republic in Switzerland.
The France under-21 team does not have a permanent home. The team plays in stadiums located all around France, particularly grounds of Ligue 2 clubs. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior national team, smaller facilities are used. Recently, the under-21 team has established the Stade Auguste-Delaune II, home of Stade Reims, as a home residence having played numerous matches there over the past two seasons.
History
Though, under-21 teams weren't formed until 1976, Les Espoirs, a youth national team in France, had existed since 1950 playing its first match on 22 May 1952 defeating England 7–1 at the Stade Jules Deschaseaux in Le Havre. The team's next match was two years later suffering a 3–1 defeat to Italy in Vicenza. For the rest of the decade, the youth team played seven more matches, which included a 1–1 draw with Hungary in Budapest and a 2–0 loss to England in Sunderland in 1959. In the 1960s, Espoirs continued to play matches against fellow national youth sides. However, on 18 December 1968, the team contested a match against Algeria senior team in Algiers recording an impressive 5–2 victory. Four days later, the team draw 1–1 with the under-23 team of Algeria in Oran. On 12 February 1969, the Espoirs played the Hungary senior team at the Stade Gerland in Lyon. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.
Results and fixtures 2017–2019
2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 6 | +18 | 28 | Final tournament | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | |
10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 16 | 1–3 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | |
10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | 5–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | |
10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 18 | −5 | 10[lower-alpha 1] | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 5 | |
10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 10[lower-alpha 1] | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | ||
| 6 | |
10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 7 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–3[lower-alpha 2] | 1–0 | — |
Notes:
- 1 2 Head-to-head results: Bulgaria 2–2 Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan 1–1 Bulgaria (Kazakhstan won on away goals).
- ↑ The Luxembourg v Kazakhstan originally ended with a 1–2 win for Kazakhstan, but was later awarded as a 0–3 win for Kazakhstan, after UEFA concluded that Luxembourg had played an ineligible player.[3]
Players
Current squad
The following players have been called up to participate in a friendly match and the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Turkey and Slovenia to be played respectively on 12 and 16 October 2018.[4]
Note: Names in italics denote players that have been capped by the senior team.
Caps and goals as of 12 October 2018, after the team's match against Turkey.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | GK | Paul Bernardoni | 18 April 1997 | 8 | 0 | |
| 16 | GK | Maxence Prévot | 9 April 1997 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | GK | Gautier Larsonneur | 23 February 1997 | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 | DF | Abdou Diallo (Captain) | 4 May 1996 | 14 | 0 |  |
| 2 | DF | Kelvin Amian Adou | 8 February 1998 | 8 | 1 | |
| 19 | DF | Valentin Rosier | 19 August 1996 | 6 | 0 | |
| 17 | DF | Moussa Niakhate | 8 March 1996 | 5 | 0 | |
| 18 | DF | Dayot Upamecano | 27 October 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | Fodé Ballo-Touré | 3 January 1997 | 1 | 0 | |
| 21 | MF | Olivier Ntcham | 9 February 1996 | 15 | 1 |  |
| 6 | MF | Lucas Tousart | 29 April 1997 | 13 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Maxime Lopez | 4 December 1997 | 10 | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | Houssem Aouar | 30 June 1998 | 6 | 1 | |
| 22 | MF | Romain Del Castillo | 29 March 1996 | 5 | 0 | |
| 20 | MF | Jeff Reine-Adélaïde | 17 January 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Moussa Dembélé | 12 July 1996 | 17 | 10 | |
| 14 | FW | Jonathan Bamba | 26 March 1996 | 15 | 5 | |
| 11 | FW | Marcus Coco | 24 June 1996 | 12 | 1 | |
| 7 | FW | Allan Saint-Maximin | 12 March 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
| 12 | FW | Jean-Philippe Mateta | 28 June 1997 | 1 | 0 | |
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the France under-21 squad and remain eligible:
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Bingourou Kamara | 21 October 1996 | 4 | 0 | |
v. |
| GK | Florian Escales | 3 February 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
v. |
| GK | Alban Lafont | 23 January 1999 | 0 | 0 |  |
v. |
| DF | Olivier Boscagli | 18 November 1997 | 5 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Joris Gnagnon | 13 January 1997 | 3 | 0 |  |
v. |
| DF | Jérémy Gelin | 24 April 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Mouctar Diakhaby | 19 December 1996 | 9 | 1 | |
v. |
| DF | Sofiane Alakouch | 29 July 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Lucas Hernández | 14 February 1996 | 9 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Benjamin Pavard | 28 March 1996 | 15 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Issa Diop | 9 January 1997 | 5 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel | 13 June 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Malang Sarr | 23 January 1999 | 3 | 0 | |
v. |
| DF | Nordi Mukiele | 1 November 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
v.  |
| DF | Romain Perraud | 22 September 1997 | 0 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Tanguy Ndombele | 28 December 1996 | 11 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Christopher Nkunku | 14 November 1997 | 6 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Angelo Fulgini | 20 August 1996 | 3 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Adama Diakhaby | 7 July 1996 | 4 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Kevin N'Doram | 22 January 1996 | 2 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Jonathan Ikoné | 2 May 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
v. |
| MF | Alexis Blin | 16 September 1996 | 2 | 0 | |
v.  |
| FW | Martin Terrier | 4 March 1997 | 9 | 7 | |
v. |
| FW | Samuel Grandsir | 14 August 1996 | 4 | 0 | |
v. |
| FW | Jean-Kévin Augustin | 16 June 1997 | 9 | 6 | |
v. |
| FW | Yann Karamoh | 8 July 1998 | 4 | 1 | |
v. |
| FW | Lys Mousset | 8 February 1996 | 8 | 5 | |
v. |
| FW | Theoson Siebatcheu | 26 April 1996 | 2 | 1 | |
v. |
| FW | Ousmane Dembélé | 15 May 1997 | 4 | 0 | |
v. |
| FW | Kingsley Coman | 13 June 1996 | 9 | 2 | |
v.  |
| FW | Neal Maupay | 14 August 1996 | 2 | 1 | |
v.  |
- Notes
- CLU Player withdrew from the squad because of a club necessity.
- INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
- SEN Player withdrew from the squad due to a call up to the senior team.
- SH Player sent home by team staff.
Previous squads
Coaching staff
- As of 2018
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Sylvain Ripoll | |
| Assistant manager | Patrice Gonfalone | |
| Assistant manager | José Alcocer | |
| Goalkeeping coach | Sylvain Matrisciano | |
| Doctor | François Brochet | |
| Physiotherapist | Guy Puravet | |
Competitive record
- For single-match results of the under-21 national team, see French football single-season articles.
UEFA U-23 Championship Record
- 1972: Did not qualify. Finished 4th of 4 in qualification group.
- 1974: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 3 in qualification group.
- 1976: Losing quarter-finalists.
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record
| Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 1980 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 1982 | Quarterfinals | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| 1984 | Quarterfinals | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 |
| 1986 | Quarterfinals | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 13 |
| 1988 | Champions | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 13 |
| 1990 | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| 1992 | Did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Fourth Place | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 8 |
| Third Place | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 5 |
 | Did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 8 |
 | Did not qualify | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 6 |
 | Runners-Up | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 7 |
| Did not qualify | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 7 |
 | Semi-finals | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 10 |
 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
 | Did not qualify | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 7 |
 | Did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 |
 | Did not qualify | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 7 |
 | Did not qualify | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 11 |
 | Did not qualify | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 8 |
 | In process | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| Total | 1 title | 191 | 113 | 43 | 35 | 334 | 152 |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.
- **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Honours
- Champions (12): 1977, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2015
- Finalists (14): 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016
Broadcaster
France's under-21 football friendlies and qualifying matches are broadcast by Direct 8.
References
- ↑ "1988: France sweep to final glory". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ↑ "1988: Laurent Blanc". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ↑ "МОЛОДЕЖНАЯ СБОРНАЯ КАЗАХСТАНА ВЫРВАЛА НИЧЬЮ У БОЛГАРИИ". Football Federation of Kazakhstan. 6 October 2017.
- ↑ "Dernière sélection". French Football Federation (in French). 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to France national under-21 football team. |
French Football Federation (President: Noël Le Graët) | |
| National teams |
|
| League system |
|
| Domestic cups | |
| Other competitions | |
| Organizations | |
| Lists / statistics | |
| |
|