Witnessing your country lift the World Cup is a dream of every football fan, but seeing your dad lift the World Cup is an impossible fantasy for almost everybody. In 1998, however, a one-year-old Marcus Thuram, barely grown enough to complete his first step over, witnessed his famous father Lilian lift the World Cup with the French national team to not only tick the box for witnessing his country lift the famous trophy but also the slightly rarer box of seeing his father complete the incredible achievement.
Now, 22 years later, Marcus Thuram is carrying the legacy of the family name by receiving his first-ever call-up to the national team after very nearly striking his Monchengladbach side to a famous victory over Real Madrid with a stunning brace.
Marcus Thuram: Living up to the Family Name
Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea: Borussia Mönchengladbach’s French Connection
Having one talented French forward is enough to keep any fans happy; give them two, however, and they’ll be jumping for joy at the witnessing of goals galore from their French connection.
And, that’s exactly what the Mönchengladbach fans are doing week in week out as Marcus Thuram, and Alassane Plea create an almost unstoppable French connection to score the all-important goals in the Bundesliga and, the biggest stage European football has to offer in the Champions League.
The two forwards have combined for a total of seven goals this season with five of those coming in the Champions League, including Thuram’s brace against Real Madrid which would have secured his side a famous victory but for a late Madrid comeback.
Despite the late comeback, though, it was Thuram’s brace which took the headlines as his family name took centre stage for the first time since the heights in which his father famously reached.
The young Frenchman will only continue to improve in Germany, too, alongside the more experienced Plea as his Mönchengladbach side aims for back to back top-four finishes in the Bundesliga.
Should the goals continue to come, an upset could be on the cards in Germany with yet another Thuram named player taking European football by storm. Lilian Thuram may have built his legacy on preventing goals, but, his son is slowly building a deadly reputation of doing the exact opposite by wheeling off into celebration following the netting of yet another goal.
Following in Record-Breaking Father’s Footsteps
With 142 appearances to his name, Lilian Thuram holds the record for appearances made for the France National Team, a record son Marcus can only dream of coming close to. For now, though, the focus will be on making his debut for the Les Bleus following his first call-up.
As the appearances come, too, so will the goals to potentially hand Thuram an eventual World Cup winners medal of his own to place alongside his fathers’ on the family mantelpiece.
The football talent runs through the Thuram bloodline and, has seemingly produced a world-class forward for the future after producing one of Europe’s and particularly France’s best defenders in the past.
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