Adrien Rabiot has gone from refusing a standby-list place for the 2018 World Cup to becoming one of Didier Deschamps’ key lieutenants for France at the World Cup. The shift matters because France need his control behind their attack as they chase an unprecedented third straight final.
Rabiot and Deschamps
Eight years ago, he emailed Deschamps to say he would not accept a place on the standby list for the 2018 World Cup. That episode became part of a long run of off-field controversy around the midfielder, yet he has still forced his way back into the national-team picture.
By the World Cup in Qatar, Rabiot was already a crucial cog for Les Bleus. He missed the last-four win against Morocco because of illness, a reminder that France’s midfield plan has been built around his availability as much as his form.
Juventus and France in Qatar
At Juventus, Andrea Pirlo called him a complete midfielder. That description fits the role France now need from him: not the headline finisher, but the player who keeps the structure intact before the ball reaches Kylian Mbappe and the other attackers.
Deschamps has made balance a central tenet of his gameplans, and Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni are expected to supply that control behind the front line. Before the tournament began, Rabiot said: “With Aurelien, we need to maintain this balance.” He added: “We're not restricted by the coach but, in this setup, we need to find the right adjustments with the four key attacking players who can make the difference.”
Mbappe and Bradley Barcola
Kylian Mbappe also backed him before the tournament began, calling him “A guy with incredible resilience.” He added: “No matter what gets said about him, what happens to him, the guy's always there. He's weathered storms and gales and, when you look at his career, his CV speaks for itself.”
That resilience has shown on the pitch as well. Rabiot’s pass to Bradley Barcola for France’s second against Senegal was exquisite, a clean example of how he now connects midfield control to the attacking players who finish the move.
For France, that is the practical value of his turnaround. The player once pushed aside for refusing a standby-list role is now central to the structure of a team trying to wrest the trophy from Argentina’s grasp, and the next step depends on him keeping that midfield balance intact.
