France national under-19 football team
| Nickname(s) | Les Bleuets (The Little Blues) Les Tricolores (The Tri-colours) |
|---|---|
| Association | French Football Federation |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Head coach | Ludovic Batelli |
| FIFA code | FRA |
The France national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. They were the 2010 champions of the competition having won on home soil. The under-19 team also contests the qualification matches needed to play in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, though the competition is classified as an under-20 tournament.
France have won the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship twice in 2005 and 2010. In 2005, striker Abdoulaye Baldé was awarded the Golden Player award. However, of the twenty-one players that played on the 2005 championship-winning team, only three of them have played in the senior team of France; goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and midfielders Abou Diaby and Yoann Gourcuff. Two players, Djamel Abdoun and Moussa Sow, have played for other national teams for which they were eligible. In 2010, the team was crowned champions on home soil after defeating Spain 2–1 in the final in Caen. Gaël Kakuta was named the tournament's Golden Player.
The 2012–13 international under-19 campaign will begin in August 2012 and will end following the conclusion of the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. The current under-19 team is coached by Ludovic Batelli, a former football player, notably with Valenciennes and Lorient. Prior to coaching for the French Football Federation, he had domestic coaching tenures at Troyes and Amiens.
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