World Cup 2018: Golden Ball Power Rankings

#7 Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba

Perhaps there’s nothing more frustrating for a Manchester United fan (including this writer) than to see Paul Pogba’s excellence at this World Cup. After seeing the French midfielder’s excellence against Australia and Peru, one can’t help wondering why he can’t match that production for Manchester United on a consistent basis. But that’s a conversation for another day.

France probably has the most talented squad in the tournament, which is why their performances continue to feel underwhelming. A team which left Anthony Martial and Alexandre Lacazette out of their squad should really be doing better than three goals in total against the likes of France and Australia. Yet, even those three goals are almost entirely due to the genius of Paul Pogba.

The first goal against Australia was a penalty which was earned after a Pogba through-ball split the Australian defense- forcing Josh Risdon to make a rash tackle. Then when all seemed lost against the Socceroos, Pogba played two one-twos with Kylian Mbappe and Oliver Giroud before toeing in a winner (a deflection meant that it was considered an own goal). In one move, Pogba had encapsulated the attacking responsibilities of a modern midfielder: measured dribbling, accurate passing, intelligent movement and a finish to cap it all off (along with a bit of luck). Even France’s goal against Peru was due to the Manchester United man as his through ball set up Giroud whose shot was saved only for Mbappe to tap it in.

In 2014, Pogba won the “Young Player of the World Cup” award as he was the spark for a French side that made the quarterfinals. In 2018, he will be looking to win the big prize: both individually (the Golden Ball) and for his team.