Tchouaméni to Lead France Against Israel in Nations League in Mbappé's Absence

epa11632989 Atletico's forward Anoine Griezmann (C) in action against Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni (R) during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, 29 September 2024.  EPA/J.J. Guillen
epa11632989 Atletico's forward Anoine Griezmann (C) in action against Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni (R) during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, 29 September 2024. EPA/J.J. Guillen
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Tchouaméni to Lead France Against Israel in Nations League in Mbappé's Absence

epa11632989 Atletico's forward Anoine Griezmann (C) in action against Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni (R) during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, 29 September 2024.  EPA/J.J. Guillen
epa11632989 Atletico's forward Anoine Griezmann (C) in action against Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni (R) during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, 29 September 2024. EPA/J.J. Guillen

Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni will captain France in its Nations League game against Israel in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, the French soccer federation said on Wednesday.
Tchouaméni has played 36 matches with France and will bring his experience to a team lacking its biggest star.
Mbappé, France’s usual captain, is nursing a minor thigh injury in Madrid. France is also without vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, who surprisingly announced the end of his international career last month. Together they led France to the 2018 World Cup title and were coach Didier Deschamps’ most influential players in recent years.
Italy has a three-point lead over France and Belgium in their Nations League group after two rounds. France plays Israel on Thursday and travels to Belgium four days later.



Spain and Barcelona Great Iniesta Announces Retirement after 22-Year Career

Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta arrives for a press conference held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08 October 2024. (EPA)
Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta arrives for a press conference held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08 October 2024. (EPA)
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Spain and Barcelona Great Iniesta Announces Retirement after 22-Year Career

Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta arrives for a press conference held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08 October 2024. (EPA)
Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta arrives for a press conference held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08 October 2024. (EPA)

Andrés Iniesta, who scored Spain's World Cup-winning goal in 2010 and was one of the key players who made Barcelona's tiki-taka thrive for so long, announced his retirement from soccer on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old Iniesta ended a 22-year career that also included two European Championship titles and four Champions Leagues trophies.

“I never expected that this day would come,” an emotional Iniesta said. "I never imagined it."

Since leaving Barcelona in 2018, he had been playing with Vissel Kobe in Japan, and for the last year with club Emirates in the UAE Pro League.

Iniesta made his first-team debut with Barcelona in 2002 and made 674 appearances.