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Football

27th Mar 2018

France World Cup winner tears into ‘celebrity footballers’ Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann

Jack O'Toole

France World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry has ripped into Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann for their lack of concentration on their careers less than three months out from the start of the FIFA World Cup.

Pogba was a second-half substitute in France’s 3-2 loss to Colombia on Friday, while Griezmann was a guest on the first episode of a new TV series on Canal+ called ‘Pogba Mondial’, a show that will look at the life of the Manchester United midfielder.

Duggary criticised the pair for a lack of focus ahead of this summer’s World Cup and suggested that they had no figures in their social circle to keep them focused on football.

“They are not serious. Pogba and Griezmann are leaders,” declared Dugarry on RMC. “They are considered big players and they put as an example. But when you lose, you sign a contract with Canal + to sell these stupidities.

“You are not starting for Manchester United, just lost a game with the France national team. You send out this program that doesn’t make sense. You have just lost. That says to us that you are not concentrated. You are not going well and you make us your Pogséries. What craziness is that?

“At some point, is there not someone in your group to say to you to ‘concentrate on your game, on your profession, in what you have to do, you have a whole country behind you’?

“A country that wants to do well in the World Cup, and you make these stupid things for us. You are Pogba, you are Griezmann, third in the last Balon d’Or. You are an important person on this team. The rest put confidence in progressing with these players. But Pogba and Griezmann don’t know it.

“They are at any time, a rapper, the next they are producers, the next they are dancers, another time they are footballers, another time basketball players. Griezmann has said that he would prefer to play basketball. We are three months from the World Cup, concentrate yourself, it’s up to you show us the way.”

Dugarry’s comments come on the back of criticism from former Manchester United captain Roy Keane last month who said that Pogba needed to place more concentrate on playing football rather than worrying about if he was playing in a midfield two or three.

“Any top player if they are going to play in midfield should be able to play in a two or a three,” former United captain Keane told ITV Sport. “The guy just needs to do better himself and focus on what the game of football is all about.”