Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps, who captained France to both World
Cup and European triumphs, shared some of his sports psychology secrets
on Saturday on the eve of his French side's Euro 2016 final against
Portugal.
The France coach wore the skipper's armband when the hosts lifted the
1998 World Cup and again when France claimed the European title two
years later in Rotterdam.
Asked if a final should be treated as a unique moment or as a routine
match, he said: "A bit of both. It's an exceptional moment because
there's a title at stake but you must not think too much about it.
"What you need to do is approach it as relaxed as possible while being at the same time totally focused on the match."
But he added: "If you do sports as a leisure, it's different, but at
the highest level, nothing is more beautiful than winning and victory is
the only thing that counts.
"There is some uncertainty, it's not science, and you may not win,
but you have to do everything it takes to win and that is the state of
mind we're in."
Deschamps also captained Olympique Marseille to their Champions
League title in 1993 and later coached Monaco to the Champions League
final, in 2004.
Asked if Sunday's match would be the most important game in his
career, Deschamps said: "When I accepted this job, it was not just to
take part, it was to live moments like this one.
"The best place is on the pitch. There is a certain frustration at
not being on it with my boots on but I can't do that anymore".
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