France manager Didier Deschamps is intensely motivated to lead his team to victory in their upcoming match against Spain, a potential "revenge" game following a past loss in the Euros, according to former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli.
Deschamps, who captained France to World Cup glory in 1998 and managed them to a repeat victory in 2018, has guided the national team to numerous finals during his 14-year tenure. These include reaching the 2022 World Cup final, where they were defeated by Argentina on penalties, and a loss to Portugal in the 2016 European Championship final.
Should France overcome Spain, Deschamps' final tournament as manager could conclude with a match against either Argentina or England. Bartoli noted that Deschamps' primary focus is "taking this generation to become world champions" and expressed his desire to "go out on a high now."
"Spain are going to be a tough opponent. He knows it. We lost to them in the Euros, so he wants to get revenge, absolutely," Bartoli said. She added that Deschamps might not always receive the full recognition he deserves due to high expectations within French sport.
"In France we have 67 million coaches trying to get the French team to win," Bartoli observed. "It's not an easy job but he does it brilliantly. We have been so spoiled over the years to have incredible players – the likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Eric Cantona – and we kind of feel every single time we have to win."
Bartoli suggested that Deschamps "doesn't get the reward and the press he should get based on the extraordinary results, but that's France and he knows about it." She believes the ideal conclusion to Deschamps' time as French manager would be lifting the World Cup trophy on July 19.
Bartoli anticipates Deschamps will continue in the football world, even after potentially taking a year off. "I'm sure, knowing him, he will go on another adventure. I don't know if he's going to be at a club and where. He's probably going to take a year off, but he loves his football too much to walk away from it. He absolutely wants to go out on a high and obviously winning would be the best. He is a true winner."