How Christopher Nkunku, Paul Pogba and others could all benefit from Antoine Griezmann’s France retirement

A new era will start for France this October international break with Antoine Griezmann no longer part of Didier Deschamps’ squad after announcing his retirement from duty with Les Bleus earlier this week. The French squad for the UEFA Nations League games against Israel and Belgium was named a few days ago and also does not feature captain Kylian Mbappe who had been injured with Real Madrid until a surprise appearance against Lille in midweek in the UEFA Champions League.

Griezmann and Mbappe together will leave a big hole but the former’s absence will be particularly felt after 10 years of loyal service to Deschamps and France which many will feel has ended too abruptly given its timing. The French tactician was full of praise for the Atletico Madrid star when discussing the news on Thursday after revealing his latest squad which includes the likes of Bayern Munchen’s Michael Olise, Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Lazio’s Matteo Guendouzi.

“Obviously, it is not a decision taken on a whim — it has been made by Antoine after reflection which matured and came to fruition,” said Deschamps who has since learned that Paul Pogba could return to the fold from March 2025 onwards. “Antoine started as a professional at 18 with full seasons and rarely being injured. He is now reaching 33 and a half where the question becomes a natural one. With all of the club competition and France, there is physical and psychological fatigue.

“He made this decision and it is one which he owns and that suits him well — he was neither constrained nor forced to do so. This certainly did not come about over two days. Antoine thought about it during the last competition which also happened with Hugo (Lloris) and Raphael (Varane). When we speak about physical fatigue, we do not speak enough about the psychological tiredness. Our priorities at 33 are not the same as they were at 25. As always, I had a good discussion with him but I could see that Antoine had come full circle. He had taken time to reflect and I can only respect that.”

In many ways, France under Deschamps will now never be the same given that the losses of Lloris, Varane, Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi have all been keenly felt and N’Golo Kante could now be out once more after one last hurrah at UEFA Euro 2024. Griezmann and Deschamps’ relationship had clearly become strained, though, notably after the 55-year-old opted for Mbappe when it came to choosing Lloris’ successor in early 2023.

“I have had the privilege of having Antoine since 2014 with everything that he has been able to do on and off the field and the special relationship with him, it is strange that he is no longer here,” added Deschamps. “I can only thank him for everything that he was able to do for this French team and he is a great example to young people because his career was not a linear one. Even in Bleu, there were complicated periods but he always remained generous and was always a leader in his own way. A page has turned.”

Intriguingly, Griezmann is not the only notable absentee with Mbappe and to a lesser extent Kante also not in the latest squad. The French superstar has had a difficult start to life with Real which was compounded by a losing return to his homeland this past midweek in the UCL. However, despite that recovery from injury, Deschamps is unlikely to reverse his decision to bring Mbappe back into the fold ahead of two away games which would only exacerbate physical demands on him.

“There is no problem with Kylian’s commitment,” stated Deschamps. “I have discussed this several times with him since our last international period. Through the words that he was able to say, there might have been different interpretations. Kylian was not in the best psychological condition for various reasons when we last met up. The fact that he was in Madrid with high expectations without any real preseason was not ideal. I have no doubt of Kylian’s implication though.”

Long-term, there are no doubts over Mbappe’s involvement with France although there could be another debate about his captaincy following the failure of Euro 2024 at an individual as well as collective level. For now, though, the mission to identify Griezmann’s successor starts this month with Olise and Nkunku the most likely to immediately benefit from the change as the Chelsea man seeks to make up for lost time after injury issues derailed his development with Les Bleus while Pogba’s return is also closer now.

Olise has an edge over Nkunku given his recent move to Germany — which is where his international teammate broke through with RB Leipzig — as well as his early Bayern form off the back of a convincing Olympic Games in Paris and start to life with Les Bleus. Guendouzi has also enjoyed faith from Deschamps in the past and will hope to be rewarded with more opportunities, but that certainly seems to be the early pecking order to follow Griezmann — Olise, Nkunku and Guendouzi — at least until Pogba returns.

Beyond that, whether Deschamps simply replaces Griezmann with another player or adjusts his setup entirely will be fascinating — especially given the pressure created by recent UNL form. There are no shortage of creators in this squad with Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola on hot form with Paris Saint-Germain yet the midfield feels more devoid of thrust and ingenuity than ever before — this could be one of Deschamps’ biggest challenges yet which makes Pogba’s potential 2025 return particularly timely.