THANK YOU BLUES. A documentary shot behind the scenes of the French team was broadcast this Tuesday, December 20, 2022, on TF1. The cameras of the TV channel followed the Blues throughout the World Cup for a few unpublished moments, without big revelation.
The essential
- This Tuesday, December 20, TF1 broadcast “Merci les Bleus”, a documentary retracing the epic of the French team in Qatar, 48 hours after their defeat in the final against Argentina.
- The document of more than 2h30 delivered exclusive images at the heart of the group, with beautiful anecdotes, but few revelations, the management of the Benzema case having been quickly evacuated and the situation of Benjamin Pavard passed over in silence.
- Among the highlights of the documentary, we note the mobilizing speech of Raphaël Varane in the locker room during the round of 16 against Poland, but also an unusual rant from Kylian Mbappé at half-time of the final, which will announce the revolt bruises.
- Throwback to these latest images of the world Cup
Live
20/12/22 – 11:57 p.m. – End of the documentary “Merci les Bleus”
[Fin du direct] The documentary “Merci les Bleus” will not go down in history. Few outstanding moments, sensitive subjects (Benzema, Pavard, etc.) were not discussed and the images of the matches took precedence over those of the life of the group. Only the speeches of Raphaël Varane and Kylian Mbappé denote and shed new light on the course of the Blues during the World Cup.
20/12/22 – 11:44 p.m. – Didier Deschamps’ last words after the lost final
“Hard to be positive when the end is so unhappy. We experienced fabulous things. We were close but it (the World Cup) escaped us”, concluded Didier Deschamps in the locker room of the Blues after the defeat in the final of the World Cup against Argentina.
12/20/22 – 11:24 p.m. – Mbappé’s remarks at Argentina-France half-time
In the documentary “Merci les Bleus” broadcast on TF1, an extract highlights Kylian Mbappé. The France team striker also spoke at half-time in the match against Argentina. “It’s a World Cup final, the match of a lifetime,” he told his teammates. “We can’t do worse than that. We’re going back. Either we let them play stupid, or we put on the intensity. They scored the 2 goals, we’re going to score the 2 goals.”
12/20/22 – 11:19 p.m. – 92i Veyron by Booba on the bus, the other (less consensual) song by the Blues
The tube Freed from desire, by the Italian singer Gala Rizzatto was sung with each victory of the Blues during this World Cup. On social networks, we could see Kylian Mbappé and his teammates in the locker room ignite on the chorus of this song. Another piece was also picked up by the players on the bus taking them back to base camp after their victory over Morocco: that of rapper Booba. The title “92i Veyron” was sung to the word by many players like Aurélien Tchouaméni and Marcus Thuram.
12/20/22 – 11:12 p.m. – Olivier Giroud and the famous photo with Kylian Mbappé
Olivier Giroud in the very shared photo with Kylian Mbappé after his goal against Poland, in the round of 16 of the World Cup: “It’s one of the moments when you are in indescribable, extreme joy. The fact that Kylian makes me the pass, I thanked him enormously. It can happen to let go of ‘I love you’, it gives a beautiful shot”, he confided on TF1, in the documentary “Thank you Blues”.
20/12/22 – 10:49 p.m. – “He is defending at the moment”, a moment of truth for Mbappé
The sequence probably did not go unnoticed in the TF1 documentary. Between the round of 16 against Poland and the quarter against England, the cameras were able to film a moment of complicity between Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, in full recovery in the swimming pool. The tone will quickly turn to humor for the Parisian striker who will chamber his teammate on his contribution to the defense. “He is defending at the moment, a little”, laughs Mbappé, when Dembélé defends himself in the second degree: “The coach, he only hugs so much I defend”. A moment of truth, hollow, for two men, especially the first, who have the greatest difficulty in chasing the opponent when he has the ball.
20/12/22 – 22:43 – When Aurélien Tchouaméni follows a defense course by Lilian Thuram
In the documentary “Merci les Bleus”, we can see the French midfielder taking a private lesson from Didier Deschamps and Lilian Thuram after his penalty conceded against England in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The respect and listening of the young environment for the two former world champions transpire from the images of the documentary.
12/20/22 – 10:21 p.m. – A mixed documentary
The documentary “Merci les Bleus” focuses above all on match days, showing few moments between the players outside the locker room. Karim Benzema’s injury departure was largely avoided, as was the management of the Benjamin Pavard case, who lost his starting position over the World Cup. These two subjects were however widely discussed in the press during the World Cup.
12/20/22 – 10:13 p.m. – For Griezmann, “it’s war” against England
The TF1 documentary also shows Antoine Griezmann leading at half-time in the match against England. “We need everyone here guys. It’s war. We have to win. “Now that we’re in front, we’re not going to let go,” he said at the quarter-final break. final, before continuing: “And after in front, as usual, spicy spicy spicy and goal. Then we tighten behind. We had a crazy first half, we continue.” A strong behind-the-scenes sequence unveiled this Tuesday evening.
12/20/22 – 10:01 p.m. – “Don’t start playing it every man for himself”, warns Raphaël Varane
First highlight of the documentary: Raphaël Varane’s speech at half-time in the round of 16 against Poland. France nevertheless leads one goal to nil, but the French defender is up against the attitude of his teammates and points out the state of mind: “Guys, that’s not us. It’s not not the state of mind. We fight with each other. Since when do we raise our arms, since when do we look at each other? We lose 2-3 balls, we start to lower our heads, what is that? “We won 1-0, but in the state of mind, it was not that. It’s a golden opportunity, don’t start playing it every man for himself. It’s as a team!”
20/12/22 – 9:50 p.m. – Uno games with the Blues
Kingsley Coman looks back on the moments of conviviality in the France group and in particular the card games. While images illustrating these games are broadcast, the French striker confides, smiling, that a “Marseille” player is known to cheat, referring to Mattéo Guendouzi. The Bayern Munich player assures that these games strengthen the bonds between the players and make it possible to forget the pressure.
20/12/22 – 9:42 p.m. – The concentration of Kylian Mbappé
“We have finished the first part of the tournament. The second is starting now”, assures Kylian Mbappé after the victory of the Blues against Denmark (2-1). Complaining about the heat and fatigue, the French striker nevertheless seems in full confidence on the images broadcast by the documentary after his double which qualifies the Blues for the knockout stages.
20/12/22 – 9:23 p.m. – Didier Deschamps’ words before the first match of the World Cup
The coach of the Blues sets the scene a few minutes from the first match of EDF against Australia during the World Cup. “You’ve been thinking about this meeting for months. There’s no anxiety or pressure to be had,” he assured in the locker room. “I have great confidence in you. Go get them with heart and rage,” he harangues.
20/12/22 – 9:03 p.m. – The documentary on the journey of the Blues will begin
“Thank you Blues”, the documentary behind the scenes of the France team will be broadcast this Tuesday on TF1, in a few minutes. The television channel was able to follow the Habs as closely as possible in their adventure in Qatar, filming many backstage events throughout the competition.
20/12/22 – 20:47 – What audience for the documentary “Merci les Bleus”?
The World Cup was a real audience hit for TF1. An average of 24.4 million people watched the final between Argentina and France, with a peak of 29.4 million. A historic record for La Une, which recorded the best score for any program and any channel combined in history. While she is still trying to ride the wave of the Blues, what audience to expect tonight on TF1? In 2018, after the coronation of the Tricolores, 6,871,000 viewers had followed the documentary “Les Bleus 2018: at the heart of the Russian epic”. Will the score be similar this year?
Learn more
There was “Eyes in the Blues”, then “Les Bleus 2018: at the heart of the Russian epic”. In 2022, it will be “Thank you les Bleus”. As after (almost) every global adventure since 1998, a behind-the-scenes documentary from the France team was broadcast on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, on TF1. La Une was able to follow the Tricolores as closely as possible in their adventure in Qatar, filming many behind-the-scenes moments throughout the competition. The cameras were as close as possible to the players during the month of competition, making it possible to capture intimate moments, in the heart of the locker room. Enough to record highlights and complete the channel’s audience ratings throughout the competition.
Until the end, they made us vibrate! ??????????
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— TF1 (@TF1) December 20, 2022
Didier Deschamps was not the only one to speak in the locker room of the Blues during the World Cup. The players also remobilized among themselves, pushed by the words of certain executives. Thus, Raphaël Varane wanted to reframe his teammates at half-time in the round of 16 against Poland. “Guys, that’s not us. That’s not the mindset. We fight with each other. Since when do we raise our arms, since when do we look at each other? We lose 2 -3 balls, we start to lower our heads, what is that? We win 1-0, but in the state of mind, it was not that. It’s a golden opportunity, don’t start to play it every man for himself. It’s as a team,” he said.
Antoine Griezmann also went from his speech at halftime in the quarter against England: “We need everyone here guys. It’s war. We have to win. Now that the we are in front, we are not going to let go. And after in front, as usual, spicy spicy spicy and goal. Then, we tighten up behind. We had a crazy first half, we continue “.
The documentary allowed viewers to experience the final as if they had been in the French team’s locker room or almost, or in any case to hear the offensive speech of Didier Deschamps at half-time. The coach had strong words for his players. “You need more accuracy in passing, more accuracy in picking. You’re not compact. Get closer to each other. You’re not there guys! You’re not on any second ball. You are not playing a World Cup final!”, launched “DD”, banging his fist on the table … in the first sense of the term, since he injured a finger during his rant . A sequence broadcast in the documentary.
But it is undoubtedly Kylian Mbappé’s bloodshed during half-time in the final that will mark the spirits the most. While France was trailing 2 goals to 0, the striker of the Blues will sound the revolt: “We return to the field and either we let them play stupid, or we go, we put a little intensity, we get into the duels and we do something else guys! It’s a World Cup final! They scored the 2 goals, we’re going to score the 2 goals!” Words that resonate today like a prophecy.