Future looks bright for youthful, Mbappe-led France

'Huge pool of talent'

However, it has been a breakthrough campaign for some young stars, with Aurelien Tchouameni, Theo Hernandez, Jules Kounde and Ibrahima Konate all aged 25 or under.

Randal Kolo Muani had won just two caps before being brought in as a last-minute replacement for the injured Christopher Nkunku.

The Eintracht Frankfurt forward, who comes from the same Paris suburb as Mbappe and is just two weeks older, ended up having a big impact.

He scored against Morocco in the semifinals and in the final was only denied an incredible late winner in extra time by a brilliant save from Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

"Some of the young players showed they are good enough for this level. There are others who were not here but will be involved in future," said Deschamps, who must have been thinking of the 25-year-old Nkunku, the best player in the Bundesliga last season with RB Leipzig.

"We always need experienced players to lead the younger ones but we have a huge pool of talent."

Some of France's distinguished veterans will now be considering their futures after what were record-breaking World Cup campaigns.

Olivier Giroud overtook Thierry Henry as his country's all-time top scorer, while goalkeeper Hugo Lloris surpassed Lilian Thuram to become France's record cap-holder.

Both, however, will be 36 by the end of this month.

But one player set to lead Les Bleus for years to come is the astonishing Mbappe.

He only turns 24 on Tuesday and yet has already won one World Cup and become the first player in 60 years to score in successive finals.

Given his age, his peak may still be to come as France eye the European Championship and, beyond that, the 2026 World Cup.

This World Cup has been "a passing of the baton between one generation coming to the final stage of their careers to a new generation led by Mbappe," said Lloris.

And Raphael Varane, one of five French players who started on Sunday having also played in the 2018 final, said defeat in Doha would make the new generation stronger.

"It is a very young group. We have also built our successes on defeats and so this group of players will bounce back. There is enormous potential," he said.