Many of the players who took part in the Maurice Revello Tournament were competing on the international stage with their respective countries in recent days. Among them, several have shone and been decisive. Summary.
With two or even three matches to be played for some national squads, the international break in November was very busy. It was the ideal opportunity for the managers to make a turn over and offer some players their first caps, as was the case for some of the players who went through the Maurice Revello Tournament.
Other former members of the Festival, more used to international games, shone under the jersey of their country.
Hugo Lloris (2006 Tournament), who played in two of the three matches played by Les Bleus, won both of them, including a prestigious 1-0 victory in Portugal in the Nations League. The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper signed an excellent performance against Cristiano Ronaldo and his team. On the French side, we can also mention the confidence and solidity of Presnel Kimpembe (2015 Tournament), who undoubtedly earned the confidence of his coach Didier Deschamps. In the other side, the Portuguese defender Ruben Dias (2016 Tournament) netted his first two goals for the national team by scoring a brace against Croatia (3-2).
Other Europeans have distinguished themselves. Attila Fiola (2011 Tournament) participated in Hungary's qualification for the next Euro after an incredible injury time against Iceland (2-1). David Brooks (2017 Tournament) scored a goal against Ireland (1-0) and gave his team the victory with a header. Finally, we can also mention Jack Grealish (2016 Tournament), stunning despite England's defeat in Belgium (2-0) in the Nations League.
Best player of the last tournament, Douglas Luiz also shone. The Brazilian midfielder participated in the Seleção's two victories over Venezuela (1-0) and Uruguay (2-0) in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and is gradually becoming an essential part of Tite's system. Mexican serial striker Raul Jimenez (2012 Tournament) did what he does the best : scoring, with two goals in the friendly victories over South Korea (3-2) and Japan (2-0). Finally, Franck Kessie (2015 Tournament) helped Ivory Coast avoid a hard loss in the race to qualify for the next African Cup of Nations on the field of Madagascar by converting a penalty (1-1).
Mathieu Lauricella