In the moments before France’s first knockout game of the 2018 World Cup, Paul Pogba stood before his teammates in the center of the locker room and delivered the rallying cry that would propel the squad through the rest of the tournament.
“I don’t want to go home,” Pogba said. “I want to keep eating pasta for two more weeks.”
For a player that has long been criticized for his lack of tactical discipline, on a team long considered more of a collection of individuals than a cohesive unit, Pogba’s statement was a sign that this French team was ready to embrace whatever it took to fulfill its potential at this tournament, right down to the daily menu of bland pasta that fueled their run to the final.
This selflessness characterized France’s 2018 World Cup triumph. Despite a roster stacked with sublime individual talents, manager Didier Deschamps was determined to turn Les Bleus into a hard-working, no-frills outfit. Almost every player was asked to suppress his attacking instincts in service of the greater good.
Antoine Griezmann was told to drop back on defense. Teenage forward Kylian Mbappe was shunted out to the wing. Olivier Giroud, the center-forward, was instructed to post up like an NBA big man, dishing the ball to teammates instead of focusing on scoring goals.
But no one embodied France’s team ethic more than Pogba. The outrageously gifted 25-year-old midfielder is capable of playing more or less any outfield position—and probably of performing pretty well in goal, too.
Except his versatility has sometimes been his undoing. Four years ago, Pogba was heavily criticized for freelancing as France crashed out of the 2014 World Cup in a quarterfinal loss to Germany.
Here, Pogba didn’t merely accept his defensive responsibilities, he embraced them, attempting a team-high seven tackles in the final against Croatia, according to sports analysis firm Instat.
“He has grown in the team,” Deschamps said about Pogba’s new role. “He’s a very expressive player. He knows what he has to do, and what he does on the pitch can only increase his own legitimacy inside the group.”
This maturation cast one of the world’s most creative players into an odd role for much of this tournament. Pogba frequently found himself sitting deeper than ever before—including where he plays at Manchester United under defensive-minded manager Jose Mourinho.
Against Belgium, he was given the uncomfortable task of going up against Marouane Fellaini, a 6-feet-4 matchup nightmare. Pogba emerged as a defensive linchpin, helping shutdown what had been the most dangerous attack at the World Cup.
“You can’t have guys who don’t sacrifice themselves for the group anymore,” former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “It’s the dominance of the team bloc.”
But a player as multifaceted as Pogba wasn’t going to spend the entire tournament in the shadows. In the final, he showed that his newfound willingness to help on defense didn’t have to diminish his dynamic playmaking.
Pogba both started and finished the move that led to France’s third goal, setting Mbappé free down the right with a pinpoint cross field pass from deep in his own half. Sixteen seconds later, he emerged at the top of the Croatia box to curl in a left-footed shot that effectively sealed the game for France.
No French player completed more passes against Croatia than Pogba either. And he did this after absorbing a team-high 17 fouls throughout the tournament.
What makes Pogba’s transformation all the more surprising is how the last two years have gone for him at club level. In 2016, Manchester United paid $130 million to sign Pogba from Juventus, making him the most expensive player in the world at the time. The world’s most versatile player suddenly became the most scrutinized. And in a rigid Mourinho system, there were questions over whether Pogba might ever fully harness his outsize talent.
All of which has made his shouldering of so much responsibility for France such a surprise. It even extended off the pitch, where he took on the role of protective older brother, chiding reporters for criticizing Griezmann.
“I told you guys,” he said after the Uruguay victory in the quarterfinals. “Don’t touch Grizou.”
Both sides of Pogba surfaced in the aftermath of France’s rain-drenched celebration. When the team stormed into Deschamps’s press conference singing and dancing, Pogba took it one step further. He hopped on top of the table in tribute to his sodden manager.
When it all calmed down, and the team returned to the locker room, Pogba stayed behind. He tidied up the table he had been dancing on moments earlier. And even offered an apology to the dumbstruck crowd of reporters.
“Sorry, sorry,” he said. “Is everything OK?”
Then he went right back to singing.