Euro 2024: “Magic Mike” Maignan has already made Hugo Lloris forget in the goals of the France team

Maignan réussit pour l’instant un Euro de premier plan et assume la succession de Lloris sans trembler. MAXPPP – Jan Woitas

Pour sa première grande compétition, le gardien des Bleus fait l’unanimité.

It only took him a few matches. In March 2023, when Hugo Lloris had just retired from international duty, Mike Maignan donned the starting uniform for the France team. Result ? A penalty from Memphis Depay saved in the Netherlands then a parade to repeat in a loop on an Irish corner. A year and three months later, the goalkeeper is only confirming in a big way at the Euro, with at least four decisive saves, against Austria and the Netherlands, and still no goal conceded in the Thu.

"We need to keep up, we'll need Mike at that level too", breathed Didier Deschamps, after the draw against Holland. “Magic Mike” However, Germany is experiencing its very first major international competition. But he bluffs with his ease, his confidence and an already considerable position in his goal and the group.

"He has a lot of charisma so he’s a natural leader, when he speaks, everyone listens",describes Aurélien Tchouaméni. New boss of the Blues, Maignan waited neither for his 28 years nor for Robert Lewandowski's dash from the penalty spot, criticized on Instagram, to express an assertive character. Franck Mantaux, goalkeeper coach at Lille during the 2017-2018 season, is well placed to remember this. "He has an impact on his defense, he’s a natural leader. In addition to being a good guardian, he is a good person, a unifier, intelligent", he lists.

Mpasi : "At the center already, he knew where he wanted to go"

The native of Cayenne also had to question himself and go through the bench to erase a bit of excessive confidence."He’s a goalkeeper who was sure of himself, even a little too much. It played tricks on him in this first year in Lille as a starter", recalls Mantaux. At the time, Christophe Galtier had taken Maignan out of his eleven "to make him understand certain things", smiles the ex -deputy of “Galette”.

"He'’is someone very determined", confirms Lionel Mpasi. Before being the goalkeeper of Rodez or the Democratic Republic of Congo, the “Leopard” shared three years at the Paris Saint-Germain training center with Maignan, from 2009 to 2012. "He's always been a guy with this temperament, he certifies.At the center, he already knew where he wanted to go. And he wasn’t afraid to go against the coaches. I remember a disagreement with (David) Bechkoura (current assistant coach at MHSC, then coach of the PSG U17s ), smiles Mpasi. And Mike didn't give up."

The Ruthenian doorman also had his "bickering" with Maignan. At the beginning of June, in rehabilitation at Clairefontaine, his former partners in Paris today with the Blues (Rabiot, Coman, Aréola…) reminded him of this in a lounge of the castle. Mpasi didn’t remember it anymore. Time passed and everyone went their separate ways. That of Maignan took him to the heights. From Ligue 1 with Losc to Serie A and AC Milan, where in two seasons he conquered, and a Scudetto, the hearts of fans. A new stage in the career of a goalkeeper built for altitude, according to Mantaux, who compares him to other goalkeepers under his orders: "Carrasso , Barthez, Ramé and Landreau. He is a champion for his consistency in performance".

Allibert : "He gets into the guys' heads"

Maignan's range is complete according to the technician. "Right foot, left foot, he feels the game well, the deep game, the aerial domain, he knows when to guard, when to push back. And he has an extraordinary power of analysis at the moment T, as Landreau had", he lists.

In the elite on penalty

Mike Maignan likes penalties. His statistics illustrate this appetite for this very special duel. In his career, the goalkeeper of the France team has thus stoppedé 11 of 43 attempts (excluding penalty shootouts), i.e. a ratio of one penalty in four saved; (25.6%).

A very high average which places the AC Milan goalkeeper among the world elite of specialists in the field of football. D. This one is dominated by by the Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma. With 15 saves out of 41 shots on goal, PSG's last defense has a ratio of 36.6%. Or triple that of Maignan's predecessor with the Blues, Hugo Lloris, who this exercise never allowed to shine (10/96, 10.4%).

Only problem for the Tricolores, behind Donnarumma, the other specialist is a certain Koen Casteels (14/40, 35%), goalkeeper of Belgium…

In this lexicon of Maignan's qualities, the only thing missing is his strength on penalties (read elsewhere). Everything but a coincidence according to Éric Allibert, current coach of the TFC goalkeepers after having been that of the Blue in the North, from 2019 to 2021. "He is very strong on the aspect mental. He gets into the guys' heads and doesn't need to be disruptive, he stays sober. He has his presence, his size. He also exudes a certain charisma in the match, we feel he is a boss, well balanced, so it comes up during penalties because you have a strong guy in front of you."< /p>

Lewandowski, like Depay before him, learned this the hard way. And even if the Pole finally tried his luck again, with success, the goalkeeper left his mark. As the direct elimination phase begins, and its possible penalty shootouts, Maignan is ripe.

I subscribe to read more