It has been 16 years since Didier Deschamps lifted the European Championship trophy for the second time in France’s history.
Next to him and among other great players, everybody could distinguish one of the best goalkeepers of the last three decades.
Fabien Barthez would wait his turn to fondle the silverware, some months before becoming the first French goalkeeper to win the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper award.
Barthez marked 87 appearances with Les Bleus before retiring in 2006 and the French fans would only wait two years until the introduction of the man who would silently lead them to another European final.
Hugo Lloris made his debut with the ‘Tricolore’ on the 29th of November 2008 and he never looked back since.
Two years later he became captain for the first time and in 2012 he was officially handed the armband by Laurent Blanc.
Against Germany he made his 81st appearance with France, only eight caps shy of passing Barthez, while in the upcoming final he will captain the national side for the 58th time in his international career.
Without any fuss Lloris broke his current manager’s record of 54 matches as France’s leader, also passing legendary figures like Michel Platini (50) and Marcel Desailly (49).
In an interview for UEFA’s official website back in June, Lloris kindly refused to celebrate these numbers.
“I’m always proud to represent my country, but in the end all these stats are just numbers. At the moment I’m not paying much attention to this – maybe at the end of my career,” he said.
“At the moment I’m fully focused on the tournament with the team rather than my personal record.”
Indeed, Lloris had occupied his mind with more serious matters.
He was anointed with lifting probably the heaviest burden in the French team’s recent history.
The expectations for Les Bleus before the Euro 2016 tournament were higher than ever.
Amid social unrest and fears for terrorist attacks, Lloris had to lead one of the most talented squads of the Euros and hosts of the tournament.
The absence of key defenders like Mamadou Sakho, Raphael Varane and Jérémy Mathieu, made his job even more difficult.
Before facing the tournament’s major surprise, Iceland, he conceded two goals, both of them from the penalty spot.
Following Rami’s suspension, Deschamps had to change the central-defending duo, placing the young and inexperienced prospect Samuel Umtiti next to Laurent Koncielny.
Scoring four goals in the first-half, the French players put their mindset in semi-finals mode.
Iceland’s pair of goals could not threaten the hosts’ aspirations, but set on their alarms.
Les Bleus could not afford to make the same mistake against the World Champions, Germany, and Lloris was aware of it.
“We need energy at this stage of the competition, a semi-final is a big step against the World Cup winner. At this moment of the competition, the mentality is very, very important. It can make the difference,” said the French captain and added:
“We are going to have to outdo ourselves altogether to pull off this feat, but I do feel we’re ready to do that.”
Lloris’ performance against Die Mannschaft was outstanding.
Although Griezmann deservedly earned the spotlight, the Tottenham custodian’s remarkable saves provided his team with a clean sheet and secured a spot in the final.
Back in April, Frederic Antonetti, the manager who introduced Lloris to the French and European football, was asked by The Guardian to comment on Lloris’ efforts to lead the Spurs to the Premier League trophy.
“A good leader is not the person who talks the most, it is the person who talks the most sense,” he said.
Although Pochettino’s players could not bring the silverware to north London, Lloris proved with his words before the clash against Germany, that he knows how to talk sense.
Against Portugal he will have to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from breaking his compatriot’s – Michel Platini- goal record and lead his team all the way to the trophy.
Lloris has the chance to lift the European silverware on home soil and become a major contender for the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper award of 2016, just like Barthez back in 2000.
Numbers, stats and personal awards might not be his primary focus at the moment, but the European Championship final is the perfect opportunity to establish himself as one the greatest goalkeepers in the world.
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