Former France striker Thierry Henry has hailed the winning mentality of Didier Deschamps in the build-up to the final of Euro 2016.
Deschamps is on the brink of becoming the first man to win the Euros as both captain and manager, with France taking on Portugal in the final at the Stade de France this evening.
Henry, who was captained by Deschamps on the way to glory at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, believes that his presence is a key part of the team's success this summer.
"When you have a guy who has won battles before as a leader, you are going to follow him, simple as that. Didier Deschamps battled adversity very young. He went to Juventus in 1998, he was one of the first of his generation to play abroad. Always he had to fight adversity. He wasn't the most skilful player, people were laughing at him - but he was always skilful up here. The biggest skill you can have is in your brain. He had that to a T," Henry told BBC Sport.
"He was very clever on the field and off the field. Before Euro 2000 he was questioned. They said he shouldn't start but he won it. He had to prove why he should be there. You could see that he would be a coach when I played with him. He guided you. He always wins. He made some mistakes through the group stage - but he wasn't afraid to change at half time, to leave players on the bench.
"He has a winning mentality. On top of everything, when he gives you the plan and it works, you follow that guy until you die. Hopefully we can then win the war. If you have a plan, a philosophy and a leader, you can be calm when things are going wrong. There is security in the group. It helps when you win."
The only other person to win the Euros as both a player and manager was Germany's Berti Vogts, who was an unused sub in 1972 before being in charge of the team in 1996.
Barney Corkhill
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic
