For the reigning World Cup winners to succeed against Denmark on Saturday, France will depend on midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Adrien Rabiot is expected to play a major World Cup role for France
In France’s 4-1 triumph over Australia in the opening game, Rabiot scored on a header and contributed to a second goal. A player who had previously been banned from the national squad for more than two years has made a spectacular comeback.
For him, this World Cup presents an opportunity. He is prepared, and it has come at the right time, according to France captain Hugo Lloris on Friday. He plays with great elegance and can definitely help us advance.
Lloris is equipped to assess quality since he is competing in his fourth World Cup and, if France advances to the knockout round, he would establish a record with 143 appearances. Due to the absence of France’s marquee players N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba due to injury, Rabiot has the chance to assume a leadership position for the squad.
People made a lot of noise over Pogba and Kante’s absence, who have long served as the team’s catalysts, according to Lloris. People tend to forget that there are other players who are capable of handling greater responsibility and who, at a certain point in their careers, have the maturity and wisdom to take the lead. This is Aurelien’s profile.
The 27-year-old Rabiot was at Juventus on a good upward trajectory even before his performance against Australia. He was incredibly influential this season when the Italian superpower was having trouble, and he won over supporters who had thought he was far too inconsistent since he left Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. In comparison to the previous two seasons, when he played 92 games, he has scored five goals in 16 games this year.
People have “always raved about his ability, and you can see how he’s been performing for Juve,” remarked Lloris. He is talented but also puts in a ton of effort and travels far.
He was hailed as a potential star when he enrolled in PSG’s academy at age 15; he was a Parisian native from the Val-de-Marne neighborhood. He possessed a smooth touch and a great passing range despite his lean build. Rabiot has completed the circle by being back with the national team and in Qatar. In 2012, he won $1,000 for being chosen the best player in a junior competition that PSG won in Qatar. At the age of 17, Rabiot later that year broke the record for the youngest scorer for PSG in a Champions League match.
Everything was operating flawlessly. Then his problems started. Before the 2015 French Cup final, Rabiot arrived late for a meeting, and the squad bus left without him.
He allegedly insulted Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden once during a preseason game and rejected down PSG contract offers with his harsh negotiator mother Veronique acting as his agent.
Rabiot has a strong character, without a question, but he is currently using it for the benefit of the national team.