Legion of Honour medal recognition for Blues pair for World Cup win. N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud were among the members of the France football squad who received their nation’s highest civilian honour in Paris.
The players were awarded the Legion of Honour by France’s president Emmanuel Macron in a ceremony at the Elysee Palace, in recognition of their winning of the World Cup last summer in Russia.
At the time of that triumph, the second World Cup victory in the country’s history, Macron stated the honour would be bestowed upon the players and at the ceremony this week he said: ‘I’m very happy. Not only to keep the promise made last summer but most of all, the players have allowed me to keep it.
‘The French team reminded us last summer how great stories and popular anecdotes are created.’
Both Kante and Giroud were major players for France in the tournament which they won by beating Croatia in the final. They both played in all seven matches and Kante’s typically consistent performances in the Les Bleus’ midfield ensure he was named in FIFA’s team of the tournament.
Giroud tweeted after the Legion of Honour medal ceremony: ‘2018… a year that will forever burn! Immense.’
The France squad are in Paris ahead of travelling to Turkey for a European Championship qualifier on Saturday. They then play Andorra on Tuesday.
Kante and Giroud join the Chelsea players from France’s 1998 World Cup-winning squad who were also awarded the Legion of Honour – Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf, and Didier Deschamps and Emmanuel Petit who later joined the Blues.
