England may be the favorites according to the Euro 2024 betting odds, but we all know France are the real main contenders. Les Bleus are two deep at almost every position.
That kind of depth plus genuine world class talent up front and a winning pedigree make France a team no one wants to play.
Here are the five best France national team players you should be watching at Euro 2024.
5. William Saliba
Arsenal’s William Saliba was probably the best defender in Europe this season. The 23-year-old played every single minute for the Gunners in the Premier League this season.
He finished fifth in the league for touches and in the top ten for dribbler tackle percentage and pass completion percentage. Only three center backs in the Premier League completed more passes into the opposition’s final third than Saliba.
Beyond the numbers, it’s clear when you watch Saliba that he is the cream of the crop. He’s a powerful defender who rarely loses an aerial duel or individual battle.
As good as Saliba is, he’s not one of Didier Deschamps’ preferred center backs. The France manager has opted for Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté instead.
Hopefully for French fans’ sake that Deschamps’ decision to start two worse center backs than Saliba doesn’t come back to bite them.
4. Ousmane Dembélé
Ousmane Dembélé’s time at Barcelona ended acrimoniously. The right winger never lived up to his €140 million price tag with the Catalan club and joined PSG ahead of the 2023/24 season.
At PSG, Dembélé didn’t quite reach the form he showed at Dortmund prior to his move to Barcelona, but the 27-year-old showed flashes of why a club was willing to spend so much money on him.
Only Kylian Mbappé had more shot-creating actions in the Champions League this season. Vinicius Júnior was the only player in the competition with more dribbles into the opposition penalty area. No one had more carries overall.
These stats show just how dangerous Dembélé can be. Whether it’s passing the ball to his teammates or creating for himself through direct play with the ball at his feet, Dembélé should be one of the most feared players at Euro 2024.
3. Eduardo Camavinga
Eduardo Camavinga isn’t one of the most well-known names on Real Madrid’s star-studded roster, but he’s absolutely one of the best. This is also the case with France. At just 21 years old, Camavinga is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.
Most people focus on Camavinga’s defensive capabilities, and rightly so. His 2.33 tackles won per 90 minutes is among the best in La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti took advantage of Camavinga’s defensive strength by playing him at left back for long stretches of the season. This is something Deschamps may utilize as well with Theo Hernandez recently coming up injured in training.
Offensively, Camavinga is extremely underrated as a passer. He completed 90.7% of his passes in La Liga this season. That was seventh best among players who attempted 65 or more passes per 90 minutes this season.
2. Antoine Griezmann
Kylian Mbappé may be France’s best player (see below), but Antoine Griezmann might just be their most important.
Griezmann has been France’s most-used player since breaking into Didier Deschamps’ first team ahead of Euro 2016. He won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament at that same competition.
More recently, Griezmann was at the heart of everything for France at the 2022 World Cup, where he led the tournament in assists. In La Liga this season, he was fifth in goal contributions and one of the most creative passers in the entire league.
Griezmann plays a deeper role for France, linking everything together in a way only he can. If France win the tournament, we’d bet money on either Griezmann or Mbappe also being named Player of the Tournament.
1. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé has finally made the switch to Real Madrid. The World Cup winner announced his decision to join Los Merengues. Before he can put on the white of Real Madrid, he’ll try to guide Les Bleus to their third ever European Championship title. With his talent, we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s successful.
Mbappé finished the 2023/24 season with 44 goals. It was his third 40+ goal season in four years. In Ligue 1, the Frenchman scored a goal every 80 minutes for PSG.
Against tougher competition in the Champions League, Mbappe finished as joint top scorer with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane. He didn’t just score lots of goals though. No player had more expected assisted goals than Mbappe’s 4.5 xAG.
Mbappé has been named France captain for this tournament. If he wins, this tournament could help further cement Mbappe’s legacy as the best player of his generation.
