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It could be his last game in charge of France, as he already won a World Cup as a player and manager.
France could become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy, with DesChamps aiming to be the first coach since 1939 to guide his nation to two World Cup successes.
The 54-year-old's contract expires at the end of the tournament, and whatever happens in Sunday's final against Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, the place in French football folklore is assured.
He was regarded as one of the game's finest defensiveMidfielders after a career in France, Italy, England and Spain.
Some people weren't a fan.
Deschamps gets by because he gives, but he will never be a water carrier. Eric Cantona said in an interview that he found players like him on every street corner.
How many players can you find who have won two European Cups?
By the time he retired in 2001, he had played in four European finals, won five domestic titles, and was an unused substitute as Valencia lost in the 2001 European Championship.
He captained France as they won the first World Cup in 1998 and the second in 2000 and won the Euro 2000.
"Didier has been my captain of all my teams and you could see he was a natural leader," said Desailly.
After a long career in coaching, Deschamps became France's boss in 2012
France lost in the 2006 World Cup final. The players refused to train after Domenech and Anelka had an argument.
The World Cup winning defender stepped down after the Euro 2012 quarter-final loss to Spain.
"We knew that with the obsession he had to succeed, he would identify the correct strategy for the national team," said Desailly.
France made the final of the 2016 Euros before being beaten by Portugal, despite reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
France's man-management and tactical skills were shining through.
In the opening match of the World Cup, France defeated Australia by a score of 2-1, but Deschamps told his players that their opponents had run twice as far and produced twice as many sprints.
"I'm not saying you, I'm saying we and I'm including myself, I'm not saying that to you, I'm not saying that to you, I'm saying that to you," Deschamps said. I will protect you all at once, but you have to do something.
Philippe Tournon said that Didier was a master at finding the right words with the right person.
He knows when it's time to get out the stick and when it's time to let the carrot go.
They played Argentina in the last 16 in Russia and won 4-3 in a match that was close.
Some of the players had gone out, returned in the early hours, noisy and boisterous, and woke up the sleeping ones when defender Adil Rami sprayed a fire extinguisher at them.
The smoke detectors woke the entire hotel. I thought that he was going to destroy them.
"Didier told me that if I lay into them it might break something we've been building for five or six weeks."
France won the World Cup with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final.
"He is the star, it's him, the star is on his head", was yelled by the player as he pointed at the camera.
France came into the World Cup with questions after failing to win four games in June and with Benzema picking up an injury.
France have been able to cope with the absence of Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba.
In the tournament, 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe has five goals and four assists, while 36-year-old Olivier Giroud has four goals and three assists.
France's 4-2-3-1 formation has allowed Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele to attack from the wide positions, while the absence of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante has created a platform for the other players.
France qualified for the last 16 with a game to spare and their only difficult moment came in the second half of the quarter-final with England, when they were held to a 2-2 draw.
"Didier has created a team that's stronger than the individuals, which may have been the case in the past," said England's boss.
They advanced to the World Cup final for the fourth time.
"Deschamps is doing an incredible job," said a French football journalist on a radio show.
The same coach leads this team, which is very similar to the one that won the title last year.
They could play better, but they have become a winning team. They don't care about anything else. It's all about getting the win.
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