France U-21 national football team
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| Nickname(s) |
Les Bleuets (The Little Blues) Les Espoirs (The Hopes) |
|---|---|
| Association | French Football Federation |
| Head coach | Sylvain Ripoll |
| Captain | Lucas Tousart |
| Most caps | Mickaël Landreau (43) |
| Top scorer | Sébastien Haller (13) |
| First international | |
U23:  France 0–0 Norway  Alès, 11 November 1970 U21: France 1–1 Belgium  Amiens, 3 September 1976 |
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| Biggest win | |
France 7–0 Yugoslavia  Reims, 16 November 1985 |
|
| Biggest defeat | |
 England 6–0 France Sheffield, 28 February 1984 matches only. |
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| UEFA U-21 Championship | |
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1982) |
| Best result | Winners (1988) |
The France national under-21 football team (French: Equipe de France Espoirs), known in France as Les Espoirs (French pronunciation: [ɛs.pwaʁ], The Hopes), is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, under-21 football teams in Europe were formed. The team is exclusively for football players that are age 21 or under at the start of the two-year campaign of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23.
France has won the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship once in 1988. Notable players on the team that went on to play for the senior national team include Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, Franck Sauzée, and Jocelyn Angloma, among others. Blanc was named the tournament's Golden Player. The team's best finish since was in 2002 when the team finished runner-up to the Czech Republic in Switzerland.
The France under-21 team does not have a permanent home. The team plays in stadiums located all around France, particularly grounds of Ligue 2 clubs. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior national team, smaller facilities are used. Recently, the under-21 team has established the Stade Auguste-Delaune II, home of Stade Reims, as a home residence having played numerous matches there over the past two seasons.
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