Marques: France have unfinished business at Colombia 2024

For Alice Marques, the summer of 2024 will certainly be remembered as a season of travel. After moving to Spain on loan with Valencia CF last month, the 19-year-old central defender is set to fly to Colombia for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™.

Of all the players in coach Sandrine Ringler’s final squad, the native of Miribel, near Lyon, was the least surprising choice.

A product of the Olympique Lyonnais academy, Marques has been a regular starter for the French national team since the U-16s, even though the defender got her international breakthrough during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I didn’t get too many caps in that category, but I really got going at U-17 level, where I won one cap after another, then I moved up to U-18 and so on, and I was able to play in the Euros and the World Cup,” Marques told FIFA.

Marques is referring to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™, in which she played at India in 2022. Unfortunately for the young Frenchwoman, not everything went to plan for her and her team-mates at this first high-profile event. The Bleuettes crashed out of the first round with two defeats and a draw.

“It was a very frustrating and disappointing tournament,” admitted Marques. “But it was still a valuable experience to play on an international stage, against other countries and see other facilities. The truth is that a World Cup is exceptional facilities-wise. Honestly, I’m glad I was able to experience it and see what it was like.”

A hard-working and determined competitor for Lyon, one of the world’s top clubs, Marques has gone from strength to strength over the last two seasons. While playing for the French U-19 side, she earned her place in Lyon’s first team and made her professional debut in the women’s Division 1 last season, scoring her first goal against Bordeaux in May in a 2-1 defeat. As a result of her achievements, Marques has been called up for a second World Cup.

“I can’t wait to get started,” said the defender. “There’s still a sense of unfinished business after what happened in India, so we’ll be heading off in search of revenge. We are determined to move on and show what we can do in this tournament. We want to go as far as possible.”

The French will have their work cut out in Group B, where they face Canada, Brazil and Fiji, but Marques is confident in her team’s quality.

“I think we can go far,” she said. “We saw at U-17 level how these competitions are decided by the smallest details, and particularly the mindset. That’s when things get really exciting.”

Ringler has put together a squad that includes India 2022 players Shana Chossenotte, Fiona Liaigre, Juliette Mossard and Feerine Belhadj, alongside a number of players from the 2004 generation (Marques was born in 2005) and three 2023 U-17 European champions, Maeline Mendy, Melinda Mendy and Liana Joseph.

“I think we have a diverse group full of experience, even though we’re quite young, which is great,” said Marques. “Admittedly, the squad has changed a bit, but we are working on reacquainting ourselves with each other as quickly as possible and getting up to speed. We want to be fully prepared for the start of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that we will be. Everyone will be pulling out all the stops.”

Ever since she was five years old at FCC Luenaz, watching her brothers play football while enjoying some one-on-one time with the ball, right up to her arrival to the Bleuettes training camp this month ahead of the tournament, Marques has been around the sport; one that has led to a flourishing career and some impressive personal and collective achievements.

While she has always wanted to make it in football, the 19-year-old has never put herself under pressure or set lofty targets for herself.

“When I arrived at OL (2018), I wasn’t really thinking ahead; I wasn’t really questioning myself,” said Marques. “Things just worked out step by step, and I simply set out to achieve whatever I could.”

An ardent fan of Portuguese defender Pepe, who is a legend in her parents’ homeland, Marques also got a taste of the big world she had stepped into when she found herself rubbing shoulders with the iconic Wendie Renard during the week’s training sessions.

“Wendie and Griedge [Mbock] are my role models,” she said.

She may not have the same ruggedness as Pepe, but the French defender does seem to share a few similarities with her idol, such as her natural leadership, according to France team-mate, Melinda Mendy.

“Alice is the leader in any team, she speaks up and asserts herself, and she’s also a top defender,” said Mendy. “She reads the game well and intercepts at the right moment. She understands the movement of the ball and, on top of that, has great passing skills.”

With her focus now fully on Colombia, Marques is looking forward to some pivotal months that could well change the course of her career, before she takes on the Valencia challenge in Spain. The entire French U-20 women’s team is hoping to shine in South America and bring home a coveted trophy.