“We know it’s going to be a big game, we’re going to work hard to win this final, I’ll have a big thought for my brother, I hope he’ll be there. » This is what a lucid Theo Hernández (25) said a few seconds after the final whistle of the World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco (2-0) on Wednesday. Joy in his words, happiness in his eyes, but sadness and regrets in his head. It’s hard to blame him when you know that the AC Milan left-back probably only owes his place in Didier Deschamps’ XI to the injury of his brother, Lucas Hernández, at the start of the competition.
Contrasting happiness for Theo Hernández
Established in the left lane against Australia (4-1), confirming that he was indeed Didier Deschamps’ No. 1 at the start of this World Cup, Lucas Hernández only spent 13 minutes on the pitch in Qatar in due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in the right knee. Theo, who replaced him before delivering an assist against the Socceroos for Adrien Rabiot, inevitably felt mixed feelings.
“I play for both. When the coach called me, Lucas was proud of me. I too was proud to be with him. Then there was this very bad news. We wanted him with us. It’s difficult for him, his injury is very long. When I replaced it, it was not easy for me either. I saw him on the floor… I wasn’t very well. But I wanted to celebrate this victory for my brother. We’ve been talking to each other every day since he left.”he explained after the first game.
Another formidable attacker on the left
If the performance of the former Real Madrid player reassured, this did not prevent the followers of the round ball from wondering about the lack of bench depth in this left-back position. All the more so after Eduardo Camavinga’s very bad match against Tunisia (0-1), for the last group match, confirming that Theo Hernández had no interest in getting injured. The whole of France touches wood: it is not so and the Milanese is clearly gaining power in this World Cup, showing himself as an essential element of the Blues.
His profile, much more offensive than that of his brother, sparked on the green rectangle for the opponents of the France team (1 goal, 2 assists). Offensively, his contribution, with his many duplications and his calls at full speed, is considerable, while his pretty complicity with Kylian Mbappé improves over the days. Lucas, for example, might not have found himself in the same area as Theo on the first goal of the half against the Atlas Lions (5th minute, fastest goal in a World Cup half since 1958 ).
The Messi danger to assert himself better?
If he is perhaps sometimes a little more vulnerable from a defensive point of view, that he gave himself a few scares and was guilty of a foul as gross as it is useless on Mason Mount which could have cost the Tricolor against England (2-1), Theo Hernández compensates with his self-sacrifice, his combativeness as a warrior, his generosity and his speed, which give a hard time to his vis-à-vis. A man named Lionel Messi, who likes to walk on the right of the field to better get on his magic left foot, will also cross the road of the French n ° 21, Sunday (4 p.m.), during the final of this World Cup 2022 against Argentina.
The side trained at Atlético de Madrid knows that he will have a hard time against the Pulga, one of the best players of all time who, moreover, has been in sparkling form for several months, as he recalls in this tournament in Qatar. The solidity of Theo Hernández in this prestigious poster at the Lusail Iconic Stadium will perhaps be one of the keys to the final. The prospect of lifting the World Cup, like his brother in Russia, looks like the perfect opportunity for the Marseille native to assert himself as the best player in the world in his position.
