Who Am I?
I’m Camille Laurent, 27, from Saint-Étienne, and I’ve grown up around football in a city where it really means something. My club is AS Saint-Étienne, so I’ve always been used to passion, history, and a bit of chaos along the way.
Why I’m Here with Bet9ja
Bet9ja approached me ahead of the World Cup because they wanted real fans to speak about their national teams properly.
Not just headlines or safe opinions, but actual perspective from someone who has lived through the highs and the lows. France are one of the biggest nations in world football, but following them has never been as simple as just expecting success.
That’s what I’ll be bringing here.
Why I’m Worth Listening To
I’ve always approached betting more analytically than emotionally, which probably helps when following France because there is always so much talent and expectation around the team.
I watch a lot of Ligue 1 and Champions League football during the season, so by the time international tournaments arrive, I already know which players are genuinely in form and which narratives are exaggerated.
Growing Up with France
I don’t really remember 2006. The first World Cup I truly remember is 2010, and honestly, it was a disaster.
The strike, the arguments, the feeling that everything had fallen apart. Finishing bottom of a group with Uruguay, Mexico, and South Africa. I remember my dad telling me about 2002, how France went out as champions without even scoring properly, but experiencing something like that yourself is different.
And I hated that tournament anyway. The noise, the vuvuzelas, everything about it just felt wrong.
One thing that stayed with me was the headline from Le Monde: “France are out … the World Cup has lost its jesters.” That summed it up perfectly.
Things didn’t change overnight, but UEFA Euro 2016 felt like the turning point. Even though we lost the final, you could see what Didier Deschamps was building.
Then in 2018, it all came together. I watched the final with my dad, my uncles and my brothers in a public viewing in our town square, and when France won, the whole place just exploded. It turned into a night that didn’t really end.
2022 still hurts. Coming back like that in the final and then losing on penalties. I still think about that chance from Randal Kolo Muani at the end…
How I See France Right Now
France feel serious again. Not just talented, but complete.
The attack is probably the strongest in the tournament. Kylian Mbappe is still the centre of everything, and even in a difficult club season he’s scoring constantly. Around him, players like Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki are all in top form.
There are some concerns defensively, especially at full-back, and losing players like Hugo Ekitike to injury is not ideal. But overall, the squad is deep, experienced, and used to going far in tournaments.
There is also the sense that this is the end of an era. Deschamps is expected to step down after the tournament, and that always adds something extra.
What I’ll Be Bringing
I’ll be following France closely from now through the tournament, breaking down performances, highlighting key players, and looking at where the betting value sits as things develop.
I tend to focus on player markets, assists, shots on target, goalscorers, and combination Bet Builders involving France’s attackers because this team creates so many chances when they are flowing.
Quickfire
- Age: 27
- From: Saint-Étienne, France
- Club team: AS Saint-Étienne
- Favourite France World Cup moment: 2018 World Cup final of course!
- Favourite France player ever: Antoine Griezmann
- Most painful memory: 2022 World Cup Final
- Player to watch: Kylian Mbappe
- France World Cup prediction: Champions
Final Word
I’ll be tracking France all the way from the final preparations into the knockout rounds, focusing on how this team performs when the stakes rise and where the real opportunities are from a betting point of view.
