"i find it disgusting", "we are on the wrong track" : Exasperated, Fabien Barthez makes a big rant against French goalkeepers

The French team is entering a new era as goalkeeper. Attached to tricolor cages since 2009, Hugo Lloris hung his gloves at the international level after losing to Argentina in the World Cup final last December. Thus, Hugo Lloris is leaving a big gap on and off the field with the Blues after 145 games, 121 of which were captain. Didier Deschamps therefore had to find successors to his former manager. As for the armband, the coach chose Kylian Mbappé, while Mike Maignan became the new No. 1 goalie for the tricolor cages.

The goalkeeper position seems to have a bright future in France. 28-year-old Mike Maignan (1:91) is on track to retain French goals for the next few years, apart from injury. Behind him, young people such as Ilan Meslier (23 years old, 1d97), Lucas Chevalier (21 years old, 1m89) are likely to join the national team in the future. The one thing they all have in common is the tall goalkeepers, challenging Fabien Barthez, who believes this. Parisian French education puts too much emphasis on this criterion of greatness: “I love them just like everyone else loves them. The problem is not there. I criticize the team for producing formatted and uncreative goalkeepers abroad as well as in France. We are on the wrong track.“

Fabien Barthez, at 1:80, knows that short goalies are often less appreciated by coaches who request tall players for this position:For four or five years, too many technicians have been campaigning for 1min95 goalkeepers who are likely to take up space in the goal. I have nothing against them. Moreover, 2 meters tall Thibaut Courtois is the number 1 of the world in my eyes. The most important thing in a goalkeeper is to bring confidence and efficiency. Take Anthony Lopes. He’s 1:84 tall, but without him, Lyon would have played in maintenance. Conversely, Donnarumma is almost 2 meters tall and is not having an exceptional year at PSG.“

Annoyed by the coaches’ mania for choosing a goalkeeper based on his height rather than technical qualifications, Fabien Barthez is fighting for a change in mindset:It makes me giggle. We make a big mistake by making sacrifices by leaving the 1m85 or 1m86 goalkeepers by the wayside. Let’s give talent a chance. I have the sad impression of seeing the same mistakes made in the early 2000s being repeated with outfielders who are supposed to be young and run fast. In short, real athletes. How much do they measure Messi, Neymar or even Kylian Mbappé? Not 1m90! That doesn’t stop them from being the best. This explanation also applies to Griezmann, who is not kept in many training centers because he is too small. We should stop trying to standardize everything. The height of a 16 or 17 year old goalkeeper should not interfere with his future career. I find this disgusting.“

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