Deschamps teased Koeman: How are you doing during the holidays? The latter responded: You have to play football in Baghdad

According to RMC, when French national team players arrived at the Clay Fontaineux base one after another, coach Deschamps made a joke about Koemann who had transferred to Riyadh this summer.

Deschamps was in a good mood and welcomed the players to Clay Fontaine as always. When he saw Kohman who transferred to Riyadh to win this summer, he couldn't help but joke: "Mr. Kohman, how are the holidays?" Deschamps was obviously hinting that the Saudi league was low, and Kohman responded: "You have to play football in Baghdad!" In mid-August, Kohman left Bayern to join Riyadh to win. Deschamps recalled Koeman during training camp in September due to the absence of Dembele and Douai. In the game against Iceland, Koeman made a substitute in the 60th minute of the game, completing his 59th national team appearance. The last time he played for the national team was on November 14, 2024.

Before this, Deschamps also recruited Kante, who had regained his form in Saudi Arabia to participate in the 2024 European Cup. In the summer of 2023, when Kanter transferred to the Saudi League, Deschamps did not close his door to return to the national team.

In October, Koeman was directly recruited by Deschamps because the offensive line was still short of people. Towan returned to the national team after six years to replace Balcola who was absent due to injury. At the beginning of the season, Koeman won 9 games for Riyadh, scoring 3 goals and contributing 5 assists.

Although Koeman missed the 2018 World Cup due to injury, he then participated in the 2021 European Cup, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 European Cup. In recent European Cups, Koeman made only once appearances against the Netherlands in the group stage. Although Koeman may not be the first choice for next summer's World Cup, he is still an important alternative.