Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will captain France at Euro 2012, national coach Laurent Blanc announced on Tuesday.
The France squad are in Bremen for a friendly game with Germany on Wednesday evening and at his pre-game press conference, Blanc was asked whether Lloris would lead his side in this summer's tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
"You can think that, yes," he replied.
Lloris made his international debut in a friendly game with Uruguay in November 2008 and has since won 30 caps.
"I think that Hugo offers the most guarantees in this role," explained Blanc.
"He'll wear the armband, but don't forget that he's not the only important one in the squad. He seems to have the control and the clarity that you need for the role.
"It's a real choice, not a default choice."
Blanc had revealed last week that Lloris, 25, was on a three-man shortlist to wear the armband, alongside AC Milan centre-back Philippe Mexes and Barcelona left-back Eric Abidal.
A member of the France team eliminated from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the group phase, Lloris joined Lyon from home-town club Nice in 2008 and was named Ligue 1 goalkeeper of the year in 2009 and 2010.
He has previously skippered France on six occasions under Blanc, having worn the armband for the first time in the 2-1 friendly victory over England at Wembley in November 2010.
Aside from Lloris, Mexes and Abidal, the other players to have captained France since Blanc took over from Raymond Domenech in 2010 are Alou Diarra, Florent Malouda and Samir Nasri.
Source: AFP
