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Patrice Evra has named Antoine Griezmann as the key player for France ahead of Kylian Mbappe at the FIFA World Cup. The former Manchester United defender added that Ousmane Dembele has been the defending champion's best player this year.
France topped their group at the FIFA World Cup by winning two of their three matches. They lost to Tunisia in their final match but still managed to qualify and will now face Poland in the Round of 16.
Speaking to BetFair, Evra claimed Mbappe has not surprised him, but he refused to name him as the key player for France. He added that Dembele has been their best player at the tournament, but Griezmann has been their key star. He said:
"Ousmane Dembele is doing more than Kylian Mbappe. Dembele is destroying every full-back. For me, he's the player of the tournament for France so far. I've been impressed with Antoine Griezmann. He's been a key player. Mbappe, I'm not surprised by him. He's breaking records, he's already on three goals. But Dembele is a threat every minute. Every time he's got the ball, he's been a threat. That's the player I hope stays fit, because he's France's most threatening player."
He added:
"The key player for me is Griezmann right now. He's tackling like N'Golo Kante. I know Griezmann, he's not the type of player you'd see doing those things. The game against Denmark, I was like, 'wow'. He was like the boss, he was the maestro. He didn't get enough credit. People were talking about Mbappe because he scored twice, but Griezmann was everywhere. He was running back, tackling, he had composure on the ball, playing with his head, he was really intelligent. So for me, Griezmann is the key player for France."
France looking to defend their FIFA World Cup crown
France started their FIFA World Cup defense in style by beating Australia 4-1 in their opening game. They went behind in the ninth minute but bounced back with goals from Adrien Rabiot, Olivier Giroud, and Kylian Mbappe.
The PSG superstar scored twice in the next match to help France secure a 2-1 win over Denmark. However, they lost their final group-stage game to Tunisia with Wahbi Khazri scoring the only goal.
