He was, then he wasn't, but now he definitely is. On Sunday it was announced that Didier Deschamps had officially become national team coach of France.
The former Les Bleus midfielder will have to get the side's house in order after a tumultuous Euro 2012 campaign that saw bust-ups involving Hatem Ben Arfa, Alou Diarra and, most explosively, Samir Nasri.
The France campaign at World Cup 2010 was also marred by internal strife and Deschamps will be keen to instill the kind of discipline and harmony that saw France win world football's biggest prize on home soil in 1998 before further triumph at Euro 2000.
Under pressure to weed out the trouble-makers and bring glory back to Les Bleus, could Deschamps turn to the successful class of '98 in order to get the job done?