Why Mike Maignan may go down as the greatest goalkeeper in French history | OneFootball

For years, Mike Maignan (29) has been chomping at the bit to be the first-choice goalkeeper with the French national team. This year has been exceptional for him, as he cemented his place as one of the elite goalkeepers in the history of Les Bleus.

The man who shot-stopped Lille OSC to the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21 has had an exceptional 2024 for his country.

It took until his late 20s for AC Milan’s current #1 to be Didier Deschamps’ main manbetween the sticks, and he’s shown that he’s ready to take on that massive responsibility.

Maignan’s 2024 achievements

To follow in the footsteps of a World Cup winner and the record cap holder for Les Bleus is indeed a daunting task.  However, Maignan has shown he’s up to the challenge, and one could make the case that he’s currently the most valuable player at Deschamps’ disposal.

Like his predecessor, who earned a record 145 caps with the national team (Lloris), Magic Mike has continuously made timely saves for his country and proven to be a leader in the dressing room and on the field.

He’s collected eight clean sheets in 15 appearances for the senior side this year, helping them make the semi-finals of Euro 2024. While the defence was solid and cohesive at that tournament, Maignan’s body of work in that competition was exemplary and helped keep this team successful despite the lack of quality shown by Kylian Mbappé (25) and Antoine Griezmann (33).

His exploits at last summer’s Euro meant he was named to the Team of the Tournament.

As he showed in France’s 3-1 triumph over Italy on Sunday, on a pitch he knows well (the San Siro), the keeper born in French Guiana is an elite shot-stopper, capable of stepping up in big moments.

A leader among men

French history suggests the best player doesn’t always wear the captain’s armband. A case in point is their current manager, who led them to their first World Cup triumph in 1998 and the Euro two years later.

Mbappé is their most decisive and electric player, but Magic Mike has probably been the most consistent for the national team in 2024. He’s technically strong and decisive and among the team’s most vocal members.

The French captaincy remains up in the air, and Maignan deserves strong consideration to take the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner’s place as this team’s skipper.

What sets Maignan apart from past French keepers

The French have had their share of colourful and impressive shot-stoppers, but none may be as well-rounded as their current #1.

Lloris and Fabien Barthez have lifted World Cup trophies as the starters for Les Bleus, but both had plenty of drawbacks.

Barthez may never be forgotten, but technically speaking, he shouldn’t be in the conversation as the best keeper in the history of the men’s national team.

He’ll go down as the biggest character we’ve seen between the sticks of this team, but he often made irrational decisions on crosses, and let’s not forget that he had arguably the best back four in World Cup history in 1998.

Lloris had terrific reflexes and stole his share of matches for Les Bleus, but he also made plenty of errors that would make you scratch your head. His 2017 blunder against Sweden is one of the many goals he’d surely won’t watch back.

Then there was his moment of madness in the 2018 World Cup final, which thankfully didn’t cost the French a second title.

Going back to the 80s, Joël Bats had some heroic World Cup moments in goal for France, notably saving a Zico penalty in their quarter-final triumph over Brazil at Mexico 86.

Even the man who helped them win their first major title at Euro 84 was prone to an error, as he conceded a soft free-kick goal to Andreas Brehme, which cost them a place in the 1986 World Cup final.

We’ve yet to see Maignan be unnecessarily aggressive in goal for the French. Instead, he’s provided much-needed stability to the position and this team while making plenty of spectacular saves.

Achievements and trophies may be what footballers are often judged upon, but if you examine French keepers on their overall technical abilities, Maignan has to be among the best.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre