Family ties: Marcus Thuram stepping out of father's shadow ahead of France debut

Marcus Thuram may be the son of a World Cup winner but there is no question that when he makes his France debut over the course of the next week, he will have earned that cap on his own.

Nations League matches against Portugal and Sweden loom, but the Borussia Monchengladbach ace is likely to make his first appearance for Les Bleus in Wednesday's friendly with Finland.

He was not even a year old when his father, Lilian, became the unlikeliest of heroes in France's World Cup semi-final against Croatia in 1998.

During a record 142 caps for his country, the former defender scored in only that one single game – but did so twice as the 10-man hosts defied the odds to win 2-1 in Paris.

On the field that day was Didier Deschamps, who will be in the dugout when his former team-mate's son takes his first touches as a full international at 23 years old.

“The praise goes to Marcus,” Deschamps told reporters. “He’s taken himself to the next level with the club.

"He has the ability to make a difference with a lot of power and pace. He scores goals, he makes goals and he has this knack of being good in the big matches.”

Thuram's footballing heritage may be impressive, but he has made his way to the upper echelons of the game via the scenic route.

“Marcus hasn’t been picked because of his father,” Euro 2000 winner Robert Pires told Le Parisien. “He has his own strength, because in football being ‘the son of...’ is dangerous.

“I remember Lilian being very protective of him and refusing to expose him too much. One day, he told me: ‘I hope Marcus will be better technically than me!’ I told him that it won’t be difficult!”

Now the proud father’s hopes are being realised.

The well-reputed academy of Ligue 2 side Sochaux is where he finished his education and became a professional in France’s second tier in 2015.

While he showed some promise, that he moved to Guingamp in 2017 for a mere €600,000 reflected his still-raw qualities and the fact that he had netted only one league goal at professional level.

It was only in Brittany that his talent really started to stir. Deployed regularly on the left side of their attack, he showed significant improvement over his two seasons at the club, notably scoring nine times in 2018-19.

What was more impressive, though, were his offensive qualities. Quick and strong, his physical qualities were matched with his dribbling abilities and also his intelligence.

When Gladbach beat off competition from leading Ligue 1 clubs such as Marseille and Lyon to sign Thuram, they probably did not quite appreciate what a bargain they were getting for €9 million (£8m/$11m).

His debut campaign produced 14 goals and nine assists in 39 outings and he formed a formidable forward partnership with compatriot Alassane Plea.

Already this term, Thuram has both scored and created three goals, having improved his decision-making and efficiency in front of goal in the Bundesliga.

If his attacking instincts were not taught to him by his father, his acute sense of social justice has been.

Getty/Goal

Since quitting the game, Lilian has been a vocal anti-racism proponent and has instilled that same willingness to fight for equality in Marcus, who was named after Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political activist.

Indeed, Thuram was the first European player to show solidarity with George Floyd, the American citizen killed by police in Minneapolis earlier this year, and the Black Lives Matter movement by celebrating a goal against Union Berlin by taking to one knee with his fist in the air.

“I always told my sons that if they wanted a more egalitarian society, they had to participate,” Lilian told Ouest France in October, also referencing Kephren, a teenage midfielder who is earning regular game time with Nice.

For now, though, it is Marcus who has grabbed the spotlight.

“His father does not overshadow him,” Deschamps said. “He’s used to this talk. When you’re a ‘son of’, it always comes back in a loop.

“Today, it’s about his career: that of his father is over. If Marcus is here with us, it’s because he deserves it.”

Lilian Thuram will never be forgotten for his contribution to French football but Wednesday’s match with Finland represents Marcus' first chance to begin his own legacy with Les Bleus.