Through the history of French football, the successful France teams have always had one outstanding on-field leader.
Raymond Kopa led them to third place at the 1958 World Cup. Then we had the Michel Platini generation, with two World Cup semi-finals in 1982 and 1986, and a win at Euro 1984.
Finally, between 1998 and 2006, it was Zinedine Zidane’s turn to reign and bring more success.
The Kopa-Platini-Zidane sequence needs an heir now, someone capable of taking the current France team forward. And there is only really one candidate.
“It is Paul Pogba’s turn to be in charge,” says former Arsenal winger Robert Pires, a team-mate of Deschamps in 1998.
“He says he is ready to take the role and the responsibility. This is his time. He wants to be the boss. He is mature enough now, strong enough to do it.
“For France to win this World Cup, they need Pogba at his best. He will have to guide this team, the likes of Mbappe and Dembele, to the next level.