Konaté, Thuram, Lacroix: From Sochaux to Les Bleus

France's recent victories over Brazil (2-1) and Colombia (3-1) showcased the strength and depth of players at Didier Deschamps' disposal. It also served to showcase one of France's academies, that of Sochaux-Montbéliard.

Sochaux - a French institution

Sochaux may currently find themselves in the National 1, the third tier of French football. However, the historic club are in the mix for promotion back to Ligue 2 BKT this season. The club currently sit second in the league ahead of the final sprint.

Historically, however, Sochaux are a club used to competing at the top end of France's football pyramid. In fact, they became the first club to turn professional in France, back in 1928. It is a club that has been crowned league champions on two occasions (1935, 1938), Coupe de France winners on two occasions (1937, 2007) and Coupe de la Ligue winners on one occasion (2004). For much of their history, Sochaux have competed in the top-flight, although they have not done so since 2014, and the last three seasons have been spent in the third tier.

The club also has a history of developing players, and three currently find themselves in the France set-up. Two of them have been in the set-up for some time: Marcus Thuram and Ibrahima Konaté. Two of their coaches recently spoke to L'Équipe about their progression within their prestigious Centre de Formation Roland Peugeot. They were at the club between 2012 and 2017 before going on to achieve bigger things, with Thuram now at Inter Milan and Konaté at Liverpool.

"Konaté? He was the boss of the boarding school!" joked Éric Hely. "He was the one who had the most influence on the collective spirit. He learnt very quickly and had a rare strength in the duel."

Hély also worked with Thuram, son of Les Bleus legend Lilian Thuram. "I always thought that he had something special. You had to explain to him the hows and the whys, but he was a hard worker. Oh, how we laughed together! He was someone who was good for the group," said the coach.

Between them, Thuram and Konaté have 60 caps for the France national team, and another player who came through Sochaux's academy, Maxence Lacroix, earned his first during the recent international break. Having come off the bench against Brazil, he started against Colombia. The Crystal Palace defender impressed.

"He already had a lot of ambition," said Pierre-Alain Frau, one of his former coaches at FCSM. "During an interview when he was 16, he spoke about the France national team. And of the three (Lacroix, Thuram, Konaté), he is the one who is maybe the biggest surprise. But he was very mature. I remember that he helped us convince young players to sign their professional or intern contracts, out of gratitude to the club." Hopefully, therefore, Thuram, Konaté, and Lacroix won't be the last ones to make the step from Sochaux and into the national team.

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