No single player is bigger than his team, let alone his country. This seems to be the credo the French national soccer team players are adhering to ahead of their match against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final in Russia.
By
Yulvianus Harjono
·4 minutes read
REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV
France\'s Antoine Griezmann during the press conference at the France Training Site, Moscow, Russia, on July 13, 2018.
MOSCOW, KOMPAS – No single player is bigger than his team, let alone his country. This seems to be the credo the French national soccer team players are adhering to ahead of their match against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final in Russia. “Les Bleus”, currently the world’s most expensive team in terms of players’ transfer value, is reluctant to repeat its mistakes and is striving to calm its players’ individual egos and arrogance.
In a press conference at its training headquarters in Istra, a suburb of Moscow, on Friday (13/7/2018), reporters asked French striker Antoine Griezmann of his chances to be the top scorer in this year’s World Cup. After having scored three goals in Russia, the striker now has the chance to top the list of most productive players if he scores at least three goals in the final on Sunday (15/7) at 10 p.m., Jakarta time.
If he achieves this, Griezmann will also have a huge chance to become the world’s top soccer player this year, following the domination of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the past decade. However, Griezmann seems to prefer the World Cup over the Ballon d’Or.
“It’s a chance to win the World Cup, not the Ballon d’Or. I don’t care if I win the Ballon d’Or or not. I’d give everything to be a world champion,” Griezmann said.
He reaffirmed the importance of his team’s collective spirit over individual strength on his team’s World Cup journey. “We’re all better together, helping each other in our efforts to play as a team. Maybe if I was top scorer, we would have lost,” Griezmann said.
The statements will undoubtedly be soothing for French soccer fans, who have been waiting for their second World Cup for 20 years. Previously, French media had criticized Les Bleus for lacking cohesiveness and self-confidence, both in the World Cup qualifiers and in group stage.
REUTERS/KAI PFAFFENBACH
Croatian players train at Luzhniki Training Field, Moscow, Russia, on July 13, 2018.
Doubts
Many are doubting that the current generation of “expensive” and talent-rich Les Bleus will be able to repeat the achievements of its predecessors, namely Zinedine Zidane and his contemporaries. Zidane’s generation won the World Cup in 1998 thanks to its slogan of “black, blanc, beur” – which literally means “black, white and Northern Africans”. The slogan reflected the team harmony built upon the diversity of players’ background.
Slowly but surely, Les Bleus has disproven such concerns. Their solidarity and willingness to sacrifice has improved. The changes were most visible in midfielder Paul Pogba. The Manchester United (MU) midfielder was often lambasted due to his egocentrism despite poor performance in his club last season. MU manager Jose Mourinho criticized him for playing too defensively and for his reluctance in following orders.
However, in Russia, Pogba has been anything but those things. He has become a key element in Les Bleus’ unwavering defense line. In the semifinal match against Belgium, for instance, only Blaise Matuidi, another Les Bleus midfielder, contributed more than Pogba to France’s defenses. Pogba made three successful tackles and two successful clearances. Belgium was visibly frustrated in attempting to break through France’s layered defenses.
“Defending is not my strong point but I do it with pleasure. It is a World Cup and we have to sacrifice,” Pogba said. “Antoine [Griezmann], for example, talks to me. He tells me to go back to defense. I think I have become more mature and all the other players help me a lot on that. I want to win this World Cup.”
Pogba also graciously downplayed Les Bleus’ status as fan favorite to win the World Cup. “I will never forget the criticisms lobbed towards us before the tournament. People were doubting us and said that we were not solid. This will encourage us in the final,” he said.
Matuidi added that the team would not repeat its mistake in the 2016 Euro Cup final, when it faced Portugal with excessive self-confidence.
