Short answers, pulled from the story.
Didier Deschamps was nicknamed "the water-carrier" (le porteur d'eau) by his former France teammate Eric Cantona. Cantona used the term to imply that Deschamps's main contribution was simply retrieving the ball and passing it forward to more talented players, though Deschamps went on to win major honours as both player and manager.
Yes. Deschamps won the FIFA World Cup as a player in 1998 captaining France on home soil, and again as manager when France beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 final in Russia. He is only the third man in history to achieve this, after Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.
Deschamps played for Nantes, Marseille, Bordeaux (on loan), Juventus, Chelsea, and Valencia. He also started at an amateur club, Aviron Bayonnais, before signing with Nantes in April 1983.
Deschamps was appointed head coach of France on the 8th of July 2012, replacing Laurent Blanc who resigned after UEFA Euro 2012. He has held the position ever since, and announced in January 2025 that he would not extend beyond the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
When Marseille won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, Deschamps became the youngest captain ever to lead a team to the title. It was also the first time a French club had won the competition.
Deschamps earned 103 caps for France and scored four goals. At the time of his retirement from international football after Euro 2000, he held the French appearance record, though it has since been surpassed by players including Hugo Lloris, Zinedine Zidane, and Thierry Henry.