sport news Antoine Griezmann is the maestro that makes France sing, England must stop him ... trends now
All eyes will be on France's No 10 when England face Les Bleus on Saturday, but stopping the man who still wears seven on his back because of an old obsession with David Beckham will be just as important.
Antoine Griezmann is the 'petit prince' who lets Kylian Mbappe be king and keeps the peace in France's surprisingly congenial dressing room in Qatar.
He will be 32 next March — he's a veteran of the 2018 World Cup win and is already breeding racehorses like a player with one eye on what he'll do when his career ends. But the quietly spoken Football Manager video game addict, who also has his own talent agency for young players, is performing as well as at any time in his international career.
Antoine Griezmann has been in fine form so far at the World Cup in Qatar for France
Kylian Mbappe is the main star for France, but Griezmann is also a key player in their team
France suffered from injury setbacks before the tournament began, with Griezmann's friend Paul Pogba one of the first to be ruled out. At one point, it seemed Pogba's return to Manchester United would ensure Griezmann ended up at Old Trafford — where he'd wanted to go since he became enamoured with Beckham.
There were chances but wife Erika had her heart set on raising their kids in Spain and so Griezmann never made the move.
Pogba was always the loudest motivational voice in the French dressing room. His speech before the World Cup final four years ago is the most famous example. Griezmann has never been as vociferous but has helped fill the void, speaking before matches. And, as someone who knows what it is like to lift the trophy, he is respected and listened to.
The other big pre-tournament blow was Karim Benzema's failure to get fit in time but although France lost their Ballon d'Or winner, they gained a dressing room harmony that might not have been attainable otherwise.
With Benzema and Mbappe in the squad, there were two No 1s. The pair don't get on particularly well, in part because Benzema felt slighted when Mbappe indicated he would be joining him at Real Madrid, only to
