Marcus Thuram leads the way for his little brother Khéphren ahead of Euro 2024 qualifying

“He lacks imagination”: Marcus Thuram accompanied and teased his little brother Khéphren during a press conference filled with smiles and complicity, Wednesday in Clairefontaine, where the two Blues are reunited for the first time. The two sons of Lilian Thuram, 1998 world champion with 142 caps, shared the platform of the amphitheater for about fifteen minutes, in front of a fairly heavy audience of journalists amused by the verbal ping-pong engaged.

“When I don’t know what to answer I let him do it, that’s fine,” laughed Khéphren, 21, less talkative but as comfortable as his eldest. “Don’t worry,” Marcus cut him off earlier, when the youngest was reluctant to start. International since November 2020, Marcus Thuram (25 years old, 9 selections) arrived Monday at Clairefontaine with his little brother, for the first time called by Didier Deschamps in the France team. For the occasion, Lilian accompanied them to the gates of the Château, as evidenced by a video uploaded by her.

“Big Eyes of Love”

The Mönchengladbach striker shows a big smile when discussing the call-up of the midfielder from Nice, four years younger than him. “I think I was even more contained than for my first selection”. Did they dream one day of sharing the jersey of the France team? On this point, the answers diverge. “Frankly I don’t think we mentioned it” but “today it’s happening, it’s exceptional,” said the newcomer. “For my part, I had imagined it, he lacks imagination!”, Continues the eldest, triggering laughter among the journalists.

In the humor category, the vice-world champion wins the prize, as when he teased Khéphren about a possible competition within the family. “There is no competition between us and our father, or between me and Khéphren”, says Marcus first, before adding: “Maybe he has a little competition with me because he is the smallest, it’s normal, he does everything to catch up with his big brother. But it always remains in love or in a good mood”. In any case, “everything he does, I see with big eyes of love”, concluded the vice-world champion before letting Khéphren speak. The assist is used in three words: “Just like Marcus”.

Lack of complex

Relaunched on his professional debut, and the possibly invading shadow of Lilian and Marcus, the youngest of the brothers invokes a total absence of complexes: “To tell you the truth, it was not very complicated. For me, I didn’t I was in nobody’s shadow, I was just myself. I was just going out there and having fun with the guys.” The Nice midfielder and the ‘Gladbach striker also lent themselves to the cross portrait game, at the request of journalists.

“By my side, Marcus Thuram: someone very jovial, very serious, who has enormous confidence in him, in his qualities”, sums up the youngest. “Khéphren is a very smiling, very serious, very focused, very determined person. He knows what he wants in life, he manages to climb the ladder”, explains the eldest. Friday, they will be together at the Stade de France to face the Netherlands in the opening of the qualifications for Euro 2024. This competition, they can dream of playing it together, like Lucas and Theo Hernandez, the other tricolor siblings.