David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois may be getting all the attention when it comes to goalkeepers in the Premier League, but the French media are completely in love with Hugo Lloris. The Tottenham captain might just be one of the underrated goalkeepers in the world. He played for Lyon just at a time when the club had concluded its title-winning spree. Since the move to White Hart Lane in 2012, Lloris has played in just over 170 games in all competitions but is yet to win silverware.
Despite the lack of silverware in his trophy cabinet, Lloris reportedly commands the respect of his teammates. An insight into the dressing room was provided by Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann, who is a teammate of Lloris at international level. Lloris has always been regarded as a soft-spoken person who keeps his thoughts to himself. The French national team has had a couple of characters like Lloris and Patrice Evra is reportedly one of them. However, there are rare occasions when Lloris steps up his game in the dressing room and Griezmann says that it is often met with silence. He said:
“Hugo doesn’t speak that much, and keeps to himself more than Patrice Evra, but when he speaks, there’s a silence in the dressing room.”
There are even captains who struggle to get this level of respect and it is only provided to the very best in the business. Lloris is certainly one of them as he has proved by the impeccable displays in goal for Spurs. The Frenchman rarely makes a mistake and he remains as one of the most dependable in the Spurs team.
Lloris recently went past Didier Deschamps – the current manager of the French national team – when it comes to the most number of caps as the captain of the French team. Regarded as one of the best French players in the last two decades, Deschamps went on to make 54 appearances as a captain and he was recently overtaken by Lloris, who has now made 58 appearances. Lloris is closing in on Fabien Barthez’s record of 87 appearances, which is the most by a goalkeeper for the French national team, as he has 82.
The 29-year-old will be disappointed with the way France came close to winning the Euro 2016 only to lose in the final. In order to avoid being tagged as a serial loser, Lloris will be hoping to win a trophy or two with Spurs in the coming seasons. The club have emerged as proper title contenders under the regime of Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine’s intense training methods are starting to bring results and Lloris can be the focal point of everything good from the club over the next five years.
