QUALIF 040 RE RUSIA 20 Teammates celebrate with Pogba after his goal against the Netherlands
France went on to win 1 0 Now with momentum the team known as Les Bleus went on to win five of the final seven games to finish first in the qualifying group That secured an automatic berth to the World Cup despite playing in one of the most difficult groups in Europe Though one of the younger players on the team Pogba played a major role He started and played the entire 90 minutes in the seven of 10 matches for which he was healthy And in one of France’s other biggest games against Sweden he scored again This time he used his big body to hold off his defender in the box When a free kick came his way Pogba used his head to redirect it into the net FRENCH NATIONAL TEAM The French national team debuted in 1904 Since winning its first World Cup in 1998 France has established itself as a power in the sport The team known as Les Bleus for its signature blue jerseys plays most home games at Stade de France in a Paris suburb During the 1980s midfielder Michel Platini became France’s first big star Midfielder Zinedine Zidane led the team to its greatest successes including the 1998 World Cup Other stars have included Just Fontaine Thierry Henry Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira These types of plays had come to be expected of Pogba He had been playing at the top level of European club
soccer since 2011 when he was a teenager Three years later at age 21 he had been named the top young player at the 2014 World Cup And at age 25 he was still considered a young player going into the 2018 tournament Tall fast and strong Pogba has a clear physical advantage over most opponents But he also possesses unique technical skills dribbling passing heading and when the opportunity arises shooting Altogether he is one of the world’s best midfielders from one penalty box to the other That’s why Manchester United had paid a record transfer fee to obtain him in the summer of 2016 The popular English club spent 105 million 116 million to recruit the young star from Juventus of Italy Pogba is also a star for who he is as a person Dynamic and charismatic on the field he carries those qualities to all he does Pogba is famous for his dab goal celebrations and changing hairstyles A December 2017 news report said Pogba had featured 20 hairstyles in the 18 months prior Throughout his career he’s had everything from fades to Mohawks to shaved-in designs with any color one could imagine He often introduces a new style for
big games But his interests extend beyond what he does on the soccer field Fluent in four languages English French Italian and Spanish Pogba is also interested in fashion music and culture Fans experience his personality and varied interests through his active social media accounts More than 24 million users follow him on Instagram with 5 million more on Twitter They see frequent pictures and videos of Pogba showing off his dance moves new hairstyles and adventures with friends As popular as Pogba is around the world however his style also invites critics Especially after his record transfer to Manchester United scrutiny from fans and media increased They accused him of being distracted Prior to the 2018 World Cup Denmark’s coach asked Does he only think about his haircuts These types of accusations frustrate Pogba
