France stars Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final due to illness caused by a sickness bug in the French camp.
Ousmane Dembele has revealed that he made his teammates who were suffering from the virus a special ginger tea.
Speaking ahead of the World Cup final against Argentina, the Barcelona forward said (via RMC):
"We are not afraid of the virus. Dayot and Adrien had headaches and stomachaches. I made them honey and ginger tea. We hope everyone will be better for the final."
Dembele has had his fair share of injury issues throughout his career and has spent a considerable amount of time in the treatment room. Fans joked that the former Borussia Dortmund star used all his experience to help his teammates.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter:
Dembele further added:
"It doesn't worry us. Dayot, after a day I went to see him with my mask on and he was much better. For the players and the staff it doesn't worry us. We just took precautions. When Dayot had the virus, he stayed in his room the first day and the next day he was better."
Apart from Upamecano and Rabiot, Raphael Varane, Kingsley Coman, and Ibrahima Konate are also suffering from illness. Theo Hernandez and Aurelien Tchouameni also missed France's training session due to knee and hip issues, respectively.
France attacker Ousmane Dembele spoke about Argentina's aggression
Ousmane Dembele also spoke about Argentina's aggression, which has been evident throughout their World Cup campaign. The Barcelona and France star believes that the aggression shown by La Albiceleste on the pitch is a result of their passion for the game.
He said:
"I don't think they're doing it out of malice. Afterwards in football you have to be aggressive, you have to have a response. We hope to counter them and we hope to play a good game. I think it's going to be a very good game football. It's a very good game. And I hope it's going to be a good final."
While speaking about his performances in the World Cup, he said:
"I think I can do better especially on the offensive aspect. Sometimes the team is more important. I tell myself that it's for the team when I help Jules or Antoine to defend. Maybe there’s a goal missing, but there’s still a game to go. We’ll see."