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Pogba not as selfish as people think – Deschamps
LONDON, Sept 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – France manager Didier Deschamps believes
the outside world has the wrong image of Paul Pogba, who played a key role in
leading Les Bleus to winning the World Cup.
At club level the Manchester United midfielder hasn’t lived up to
expectations since his then world record œ89 million ($116 million) move from
Juventus in 2016, although his performances have picked up in recent weeks.
Off the field, Pogba has attracted criticism for spending too much time on
social media and frequently changing his hairstyle than concentrating on his
football.
However, he shone for France in Russia, often sacrificing the attacking
side of his game for the good of the team, before scoring in the final
against Croatia.
“The rest of the world had an image of Pogba which didn’t really reflect
who he is,” Deschamps told FIFA’s coaching conference to review the World Cup
on Sunday.”He’s always thinking about the collective.
“There is an image of him that he is very individualistic, a bit self-
centred, but that’s not the true Paul at all.”
Pogba’s importance as a leader of the French side was revealed in a behind
the scenes documentary, which showed the prominent role he took during a team
talk at half-time in the final.
“He prepared to win. He took on the mantle of leadership both on and off
the pitch. He took on the role of spokesman, he can do that because he is a
good speaker,” added Deschamps, who believes Pogba is now more calm when it
comes to dealing with press scrutiny of his performances.
“You can be criticised, the press can be tough on you. Once you take that
on board, I think you can become more calm. He has taken that on board and it
has had an impact on him on and off the pitch.
“I think it gave him some respect, and that respect he has gained on the
field has also had an impact on him as a person.”
Deschamps is the heavy favourite to win the award for FIFA’s best coach of
the year at an award ceremony in London on Monday.
However, no Frenchman is in the running for the best player prize as
Cristiano Ronaldo faces competition from Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder
Luka Modric and Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah to win FIFA’s
world player of the year for the sixth time.
BSS/AFP/BZC/2030HRS