BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand have praised France attacker Antoine Griezmann for his heroics in France’s 2-0 win over Morocco on Wednesday.
The Atletico Madrid attacker, who is playing a midfield role for Les Bleus in the World Cup in Qatar, produced a brilliant performance against a bold Moroccan side, providing the run that led to France’s first goal after just five minutes while also producing a box-to-box performance through the game.
Griezmann was awarded the man of the match after the game, with Alan Shearer agreeing that he was the best player on the pitch.
Speaking about the Frenchman’s performance, the former Newcastle United player said: “he was the man of the match for me. You’ve got to give credit to the way Didier Deschamps has used him.
“He’s a super talent, a really clever player who reads the game really well. When you think of the players they’ve got missing, him and Aurelien Tchouameni were fantastic on the defensive work.”
Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was also impressed by the changes Griezmann had made to his game, likening him to Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante.
He “looked more like N’Golo Kante” but was still able to move like a true forward as “it’s like cycling; you never forget it,” Drogba said.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand also praised the 31-year-old, calling him ‘the best defensive player in the tournament’ before adding: “We could show great clips of him getting forward and creating things, but we can probably show you as many clips of his defending.”
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba also has likened Griezmann to N’Golo Kante in an Instagram post celebrating his nation’s win over Morocco.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘Griezmannkante.’
France will face Argentina in the final on Sunday.
