Why AC Milan Defender Adil Rami Deserves France International Recall

Adil Rami has done enough with Milan this calendar year to earn himself a spot back on the French national team.

After being shunned from Valencia last year after a fight with former coach Miroslav Djukic, he lost his spot as a starter for Les Bleus. Rami has been one of the few bright spots in Milan's back line, even showing versatility when he lined up successfully as a right-back in place of the injured Ignazio Abate.

Adil Rami is an intimidating physical presence. Standing over 190cm, he often wins aerial duels and is comfortable enough with his feet to play it out of the back and into a more secure part of the pitch.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

At 28 years old, Rami is in the prime of his career. It wasn't so long ago that him and Philippe Mexes partnered up successfully in the heart of France's defense. While Mexes is an error-prone, hot-headed defender, Rami has shown more poise under pressure. 

He was considered to be one of the top defensive prospects in France during his time with Lille, which earned him a big move to La Liga side Valencia.

In France's last European qualifier against Sweden, coach Didier Deschamps used a central pairing of talented youngster Raphael Varane and the mistake-prone Eliaquim Mangala, who had a tough few months in the Premier League with Manchester City.

Interestingly enough, Varane has been the only real constant for Deschamps. During the past three games, he's had three different defensive partners: Mangala, Roma's Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and converted Barcelona center back Jeremy Mathieu.

The coach has even called up Saint Etienne's 29-year-old captain Loic Perrin. While he's been a solid servant in Ligue 1, the defender could easily make way for someone like Adil Rami.

This shows that the defensive line has been unsettled, and Deschamps is still weighing his options on who'll be the most ideal partner for the young phenom Varane going into the 2016 Euros. 

Rami could be the ideal partner for Varane in more ways than one.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

While the Real Madrid man has pace and is a very elegant defender, Rami is more of a physical banger who also has an underrated technique. It's this type of skill that he used to impress Milan fans in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, where he played as a makeshift full-back and made the most of his opportunity by showing decent quickness and a rangy ability with his passing.

Since 2010, Rami has been capped 26 times for France, scoring one goal in the process. He certainly deserves another look into the squad under Deschamps.