This victory does not only give Les Bleus their first Nations League title; it also puts the current iteration of the French national team in the discussion for "greatest international team of all time".
I'm not jumping the gun at all. Prior to this tournament, France already had a World Cup title in 2018; they were also runners-up to Portugal in Euro 2016. Many of the core players of those two squads are still key members of the current team; hence, those squads can be classified as part of the current era.
When we consider where the current France team stands in international football history, we have to first think of the other teams which are often considered the greatest ever: 1957-63 Brazil, 1970-76 West Germany, and 2008-12 Spain. With all due respect to 1970 Brazil, though they may have peaked the highest, I cannot honestly include them due to their lack of longevity.
Over their respective runs, Brazil won two World Cups and reached two Copa América finals and two semifinals, West Germany won one World Cup and one European Championship while also reaching a World Cup semifinal and a European Championship final, and Spain won two European Championships and one World Cup. France's current record of one European Championship runner-up finish and one World Cup and Nations League title apiece over a five-year stretch stacks up very nicely indeed.
On top of that, with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar just over a year away, perhaps the most ominous sign for those who believe they can topple France is this: France just won the Nations League without their best player and potential Ballon d'Or contender N'Golo Kanté. The Chelsea defensive midfielder was not named to the squad after having tested positive for Covid-19.
Consider this: in the final against Spain, the player in Kanté's usual spot was Aurélien Tchouaméni. Tchouaméni is certainly no scrub and does have a bright future ahead of him - but of course, he can't hold a candle to the player I consider to be the second-greatest defensive midfielder of all time. Imagine how France could've played if Kanté had been present.
That said, it's obvious by now that this France team isn't just about Kanté. It's loaded with all-time greats including Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Benzema, and Raphaël Varane as well as legends in the making such as Mbappé, Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard, and Lucas Hernandez. Almost as if to rub it in for their direct competition, France's depth is truly astonishing - even their backups alone could give a good game to many a top team.
Certainly, France have to be considered the favourites to win back-to-back World Cuo titles next year and become the first team in 60 years to successfully defend a world title. Though the likes of Belgium, England, Italy, and Brazil do have a puncher's chance, the reality is that as it stands right now, it's France, then a gap, then the rest of the contenders.
Another World Cup title in 2022 would unquestionably make the current France team the greatest international football team to have ever taken to the field. Not only that - the reputations and legacies of their key players would be elevated to new heights.
Kanté would become the undisputed greatest defensive midfielder of all time, a top-20 player in history, and arguably France's greatest footballer ever (depending on how you rank Zinedine Zidane). Pogba, Griezmann, Benzema, and arguably Varane would enter the top 50 of all time. Mbappé would clearly move ahead in what I expect to become a generation-defining rivalry with Erling Haaland, while Hugo Lloris, Presnel Kimpembe, Hernandez, and even head coach Didier Deschamps, among others, would no longer be as unjustly underrated as they are today.
To sum it up, France are potentially slightly more than a year from ascending to a level which no other international team has reached. The remarkable part is: it seems realistic that they will do it.
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