At 25 years old, Marcus Thuram is one of the figures of the Bundesliga and a reference for Borussia Monchengladbach. His great performance has led him to be included in Didier Deschamps' list for the French team that went to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and is one step away from starting in the grand final against Argentina.
Marcus Thuram wears the number 26 for Deschamps' France. Photo: EFE
Who is Marcus Thuram?
Son of former defender Lilian Thuram, who played for Monaco, Juventus, FC Barcelona, and even became a world champion with the French national team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup held in France. Marcus was born in Italy when his father was playing for Parma alongside Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro, but unlike his father, he plays as a forward and not as a central defender.
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The boots that Messi gave him
When Lilian played for Barca, Marcus received a gift from one of his father's friends, a young but skillful left-footed player named Lionel Messi, who gave him a pair of boots. "I was carefree at that time, I was a 10-year-old child and he (Leo) was 20," he told AFP. However, now he must regret what he did with them: "They were too small for me, so I gave them to a friend, he must still have them!"
Youth and professional debut
Thuram played in the youth teams of Sochaux, stood out, and was called up to the French under-17 team, and later joined the under-20 team. In 2015, at the age of 18, the forward made his professional debut with the team. He scored his first goal against Olympique Lyon and celebrated like his father, placing his hand on his mouth with a pensive attitude.
In 2017, he joined Guinamp in Ligue 1 and scored 17 goals in 72 matches, which drew the attention of Monchengladbach, who added him to their ranks in 2019. In his first season, he scored 14 goals and provided nine assists in 39 matches, numbers that helped the team return to the Champions League.
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Could start in the final against Argentina
The forward has played four matches in Qatar 2022, he hasn't scored any goals, but he has provided an assist. However, Thuram could start as a starter against Argentina due to Olivier Giroud's injury. The AC Milan player has some discomfort that could prevent him from being in Deschamps' starting lineup, and the Monchengladbach figure would take his place.