France name Andre-Pierre Gignac and Florian Thauvin to the Olympic squad

France has named both of Tigres’ French players in their squad for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo as two of their three allotted overage players. Andre-Pierre Gignac and Florian Thauvin will be playing on the French team that is set to open their participation in the Olympic tournament against Mexico on July 22nd. France has a very competitive team and is one of the candidates to win the gold medal, including being big favorites for their match against Mexico.

Andre-Pierre Gignac and Florian Thauvin both have had careers with the French National Team prior to their time in Tigres. Thavin is the recent acquisition with Tigres and was part of the 2015 U20 World Cup winning team, and more importantly part of the 2018 World Cup team. Gignac meanwhile played in the 2010 World Cup. After his arrival at Tigres, his impressive level caused him to be part of the 2016 UEFA Euro team, and Gignac even played in the final where a shot of his hit the post in what would have been the game-winning goal before they lost the final against Portugal. This call up means a return to the French National Team in what will probably be the last tournament for Gignac at 35, but not necessarily for Thauvin.

With their call ups, Gignac and Thauvin are set to be the only Tigres players to be in the competition as no players from Tigres are part of the U24 Mexican National Team, something that might reveal a lot about the lack of opportunities for young players in the team. Their city rivals Monterrey are set to have two players in Carlos Rodriguez and Cesar Montes, which means that the France vs. Mexico match might be another game in their perpetual rivalry between both teams.