Vieira thinks Makelele, Thuram will go on for Les Bleus

France captain Patrick Vieira believes Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele will not retire from international soccer. "I don't see them quitting," the Inter midfielder told French channel TF1 yesterday. "I will do all that I can to convince them to...

France captain Patrick Vieira believes Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele will not retire from international soccer.

"I don't see them quitting," the Inter midfielder told French channel TF1 yesterday. "I will do all that I can to convince them to stay," the former Arsenal captain added.

Midfielder Makelele said last month he was quitting the international scene. Defender Thuram has yet to decide.

"They have a lot to bring to France. It would be a pity if they were quitting," said Vieira, who left demoted Juventus for Serie A rivals Inter during the close season.

World Cup runners-up France travel to Georgia for their first Euro 2008 qualifier next month.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.