‘The strongest team since 2006’ – Paul Pogba on the standard of the 2026 France squad

‘The strongest team since 2006’ – Paul Pogba on the standard of the 2026 France squad Considered one of the hot favourites to win the World Cup, France remain a team whose true standard is difficult to gauge. For whilst the individual players in the squad are undoubtedly among the best in the business, their collective performances sometimes reveal a weakness that, if exploited by their opponents, could prove costly for Didier Deschamps’ men. Paul Pogba (33), who won the World Cup with this very same team eight years ago, however, is not worried. On the contrary, he considers this to be the best version of Les Bleus in 20 years. “It might be the strongest team since 2006, given all the talent we have,” said the midfielder in an interview with L’Équipe . “I think there’s an even better team than in 2022 and 2018 in terms of individual quality. But this is a World Cup: it’s not just talent that will come into play. We all know this is one of the strongest nations, given the season the players have had and the fact that the Ballon d’Or winner is French.” A status synonymous with “extra pressure” for the AS Monaco player, who makes no secret of his interest in Portugal, Spain and Brazil either. Be that as it may, if the French team were really as strong as they were in 2006, there is every reason to believe they would once again be among the favourites to play a leading role in this World Cup. And the good news is: this time, they’re unlikely to face their Italian nemeses.