It took 17 years to see a player from FC Nantes join the Blues: Alban Lafont, this Monday, September 19, was called by Didier Deschamps; the current coach of the France team who is one of the 38 Canaries to have already played with the national team. The current Nantes goalkeeper hopes to join this list during the match against Austria on Thursday, or that against Denmark on Sunday.
The last five selected
- Mickael Landreaufor a friendly match against Germany (0-0) in November 2005. He returned to Les Bleus as third goalkeeper for the 2006 World Cup, a few days after signing for PSG.
- Eric Careerfor the 2001 Confederations Cup. Just after the competition, he left the club to join Olympique de Marseille.
- Nicolas Gilletalso for the 2001 Confederations Cup. He only wore the blues jersey in the four matches of this competition.
- Claude Makelelefor a friendly match against Sweden in April 1997. He also joined OM a few months after the match.
- Reynald Pedrosduring the 1996 European Championship. Same scenario: the Nantes native becomes a Marseillais during the following summer.
The five who have had the most selections as Nantes residents
- Max Bossis64 selections.
- Henry Michael58 selections.
- Reynald Pedros22 selections.
- Bernard Blanchet17 selections.
- Patrice Rio17 selections.
The five most selected trained at FC Nantes
- Marcel Desailly116 selections (but never as Nantes).
- Didier Deschamps103 selections (but only five as Nantes).
- Max Bossis76 selections.
- Christian Karembeu53 selections (but only eight as Nantes).
- Jeremy Toulalan, 36 selections (but never as Nantes).
They were already no longer from Nantes
If Valentin Rongier has not yet been selected with the France team, three years after his departure from FC Nantes, his former teammate and captain Léo Dubois quickly joined the Blues after leaving the club. Nantes fans were able to see him for his first match on the pitch with the tricolor jersey, on June 3, 2019 at La Beaujoire against Bolivia.
It also took longer for Dimitri Payet, selected in 2010, three years after leaving FC Nantes; same for me the native of the Country of Ancenis Jordan Veretoutappeared several times in the tricolor jersey since August 2021, six years after leaving the club.
Marcel Desailly he joined the national team for the first time a year after leaving the Yellow and Green to join OM, with whom he won the Champions League the same year. The defender trained at La Jonelière is the fourth French player who has played the most with the Blues. The other 98 world champion, Fabien Barthez, took the opposite route: he arrived at FC Nantes after his international retirement, for the end of his career and four missed months with the Canaries.