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Hugo Lloris (36) announced his retirement as a French international on Monday evening. This is reported by L’Equipe.
Jens Heylen
The Tottenham goalkeeper spent more than 14 years defending the colors of France. At the last World Cup in Qatar, Lloris also became a French record international with 145 caps. He passed Lilian Thuram who had collected 142.
“There comes a point when you have to know to pass the torch,” he said in an interview with France’s L’Équipe. “I have always said that the French team is not one person. I think the team is ready to move on. With Mike Maignan there is also a goalkeeper who is ready.
“I’d rather stop at the top of my game than wait for a breakdown,” continues Lloris. “I also want to be able to spend more time with my wife and children.”
On November 19, 2008, he was in goal for the French for the first time, in a friendly match against Uruguay (0-0) at the Stade de France. In 2018 he was crowned world champion in Russia with Les Bleus. His palmares also includes the lost final of the European Championship 2016 (1-0 after extra time against Portugal) and the final victory in the Nations League in 2021. Lloris’ last international match is therefore the lost World Cup final on December 18 against Argentina (3 -3, 2-4 in penalty shootout).
Lloris will now focus on his club career at Tottenham, where he has been captain since 2012. He started as a professional at OGC Nice (2005-2008) and then played for Olympique Lyonnais (2008-2012).