Outstanding schoolboy footballer Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards is confident he already has the tools needed to contribute meaningfully to the Jamaican national senior team.

In recent weeks, a dominant season in the country’s high school level program has seen the player score 29 goals and contribute 19 assists to Kingston College. 

An impressive haul by any standard, but more so it is the quality in some of his finishing that has sparked calls for the player to be given an opportunity with Jamaica’s senior squad.

Not everyone agrees with that particular assessment, however, as some believe the step-up in opponent quality might be a gap too far to bridge at this stage of the player’s young career and might even do more harm than good.

High school players being given an opportunity to feature for the country’s national team is rare but not unprecedented.  In years gone by Kevin ‘Pele’ Wilson another schoolboy football standout, who represented Charlie Smith, was called into the national squad as a 17-year-old, and made his debut against Norway in 1995. 

Another player, Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner, who represented Wolmer’s in the Manning Cup, went on to be arguably the country’s most successful player after being handed his debut as a teenager in 1997, ahead of the country’s historic qualification for the 1998 World Cup.  Based on his tremendous displays many believe Richards deserves similar consideration. He agrees.

“Yes, for sure, right now,” Richards told SportsMax.Tv’s InCaseYouMissedIt, when quizzed about his state of readiness in regard to representing the national team.

“Craig (Butler) has been saying this for like two years, three years now,” he added.

The often controversial Craig Butler is the agent and adoptive father to Aston Villa star Leon Bailey and has had Richards as part of his Phoenix Academy club for the past several years.

"That’s the reason I played Manning Cup to prove myself that nobody is lying, that Craig isn’t lying, my father isn’t lying.  Nobody that has been saying I can play is lying,” he added.

Richards also revealed that the current season of the Manning Cup was his first and will also be his last as the player is expected to explore offers from around Europe.  

Jude Bellingham looks close to the complete player for former England defender Gary Neville, after the midfielder sparked a World Cup victory against Senegal.

The teenager nabbed an assist and helped fire Gareth Southgate's side into the quarter-finals in Qatar with a 3-0 win on Sunday, in another superb individual showing.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham has emerged as a key figure for the Three Lions this tournament, and looks to have staked his place firmly in the starting line-up.

Neville certainly feels it is a place well earned by the 19-year-old, and said he appears to already have a mastery and maturity in an England shirt that few others have.

"It's very rare you see a midfield player as comfortable in his own half as in the attacking half," he told ITV. "He looks like he can do absolutely everything.

"Is he a holding player, an attacking player? He's everything in one. He's fantastic, [and] so young, but it's the composure, maturity and fearlessness I can't get my head around.

"I watched players play for England for many years, the weight of the shirt was enormous. He just doesn't feel it at all, he looks like he belongs out there, like he wants it and needs it in his life."

Bellingham and England will face holders France in their quarter-final tie, with the pair set to meet on Saturday in the concluding match of the last eight.

England are not getting the credit they deserve for their World Cup performances, so says Declan Rice, who claimed other nations will fear the Three Lions.

Despite a sluggish start to Sunday's match at Al Bayt Stadium, Gareth Southgate's side eased through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Senegal.

Jude Bellingham starred as Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored to set up a tie with France on Saturday.

England have come under some criticism for their pragmatic approach to major tournaments under Southgate, yet after four games they are the top scorers in the competition with 12 goals, while they have conceded just twice at the other end.

"I'm delighted. It was a real top performance," Rice said.

"There was a lot of energy, some great goals. We knew Senegal posed a massive threat but we shut them down and now we march on.

"I've said it all along – we've not been getting the credit we deserve with our performances. If you look at other teams, like the Netherlands and Argentina, they win their games comfortably and it gets called a masterclass, but with us it always gets picked off.

"If you look at our last couple of games we've been faultless. Other countries should be fearing us now.

"I think we're starting to silence the critics. Going into the tournament there was always a lot of talk that we don't score enough goals - again, that's another one we've kept people quiet on. There was scrutiny around the defence and conceding goals but it's been solid so we're going to keep building and pushing."

Rice did add: "We're building a solid foundation and it's down to us now – there's no point being buzzing about tonight if we can't push on and beat France."

While Rice turned in a typically composed display at the base of England's midfield, Bellingham was the star of the show.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder set up Henderson's opener and played a crucial role in Kane making it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time.

"He's thriving on the main stage," Rice said of the 19-year-old. "It makes me happy to see that, when you've got a player like that who is so strong and athletic, creating the chances he's creating.

"He's been doing it for Dortmund all season and is now doing it for us. It was a real collective team performance from us tonight all over the pitch, magnificent."

Of going up against France and the World Cup's leading goalscorer Kylian Mbappe, Rice said: "These are the game we want to play in. England versus France quarter-final – it doesn't get bigger than that. We've got six days now to prepare, we know the world will be watching and we want to progress."

Gareth Southgate felt his trust in youth paid dividends after watching his Three Lions youngsters guide England past Senegal and into the World Cup quarter-finals.

Nineteen-year-old Jude Bellingham provided steel and energy in midfield while Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden – selected ahead of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish – contributed the craft as England won 3-0 at Al Bayt Stadium.

The result sets up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash against defending champions France on Saturday.

Bellingham and 22-year-old Foden enjoyed assists for the first two England goals, scored by Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane, while 21-year-old Saka scored the third from another Foden cross.

It amounted to a satisfying night for manager Southgate, with Bellingham particularly catching the eye.

"I don't think we could have predicted how quickly he would mature, even in the last three months that's gone to another level," Southgate said of the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.

"We wanted to invest in young players on the basis that we felt they could be something special in the future. It's meant the likes of Bukayo has 20-odd caps already coming to a tournament like this, [Declan] Rice was in the squad at 19…

"You suffer a bit sometimes because they're not perfect when they come in. But you can see the mentality, and further down the line you get the kind of performances we are now getting. The three youngest players we felt had earned that trust in a game of this size, and they've shown great maturity and all contributed in their own way."

France will present an entirely different challenge to Senegal, and Southgate is a huge admirer of Didier Deschamps' side.

"It's the biggest test we could face," Southgate said. "They are world champions, have an incredible depth of talent and outstanding individual players that are very difficult to play against. It's a great challenge."

Kylian Mbappe scored twice in France's 3-1 victory over Poland earlier on Sunday to take his tally to five goals for the tournament, and he will be the man England have to pay the closest attention to.

Southgate said: "He's a world-class player, he's already delivered big moments in this tournament and other tournaments.

"They also have [Antoine] Griezmann who has played over 70 consecutive games for France, he's a phenomenal player, we know Olivier Giroud so well, and they have outstanding young midfield players.

"Everywhere you look in every age group, they have incredible depth in every position. It's a huge test but one we are looking forward to."

Senegal arrived in Qatar as African champions and with high hopes, but frequent lapses in concentration defensively have contributed to their exit.

Coach Aliou Cisse refused to criticise his players and instead highlighted the challenge they face in trying to bridge the gulf in quality to the best sides in the world.

He said: "We played a very good England team, you saw that, and we just weren't as good as we should have been.

"We were missing two or three players that could've made a difference. But you could see the difference in the teams tonight. We have worked hard to become the best team in Africa, but tonight we were playing one of the top five teams in the world and you could see the difference.

"We were 18th in the rankings before tonight and we were playing one of the big five, so it's an ongoing process."

Cisse agreed to add another year to his contract last month, extending it to 2024, but refused to discuss his future when asked.

"I don't want to talk about that," he said. "We've just lost a game, are knocked out of the tournament, and I will need to draw the lessons from this game. Currently, I am coach of this team, and we'll see what the future brings."

Harry Kane is hoping to hit a run of scoring form after breaking his duck in Qatar in the 3-0 victory over Senegal.

The Golden Boot winner from Russia 2018 failed to score during the group stage but opened his World Cup 2022 account in the last 16 to double England's lead shortly before the break.

Kane's goal moved him to 11 in a major tournament for the Three Lions, surpassing Gary Lineker in that regard, and the England captain hopes to extend his record.

"As a striker, scoring goals is what you do and its one of the best feelings you can have in football. I was waiting patiently to score," he said after the game.

"I feel good and hopefully this can start a good run for me personally as this can help the team as well.

"As you saw today, we had players scoring from different positions which is really important when you get in the later stages of the tournament.

"It was nice for me to score but the main thing was a really good team performance."

England are now braced for Saturday's challenge against defending champions France, who have lost just once in the knockout stages of the World Cup under Didier Deschamps – against eventual champions Germany in 2014.

Kane is under no illusion regarding the importance of the game but feels if you want to go all the way, you have to defeat the best.

"Saturday will be a difficult game. France are a great team, reigning world champions, so it will be a tough evening. We have a couple of days to recover before another important game.

"If you want to win the World Cup you have to play the best sides the world and France are definitely one of them."

Robert Lewandowski is "not scared" of playing at another World Cup, but the Poland captain acknowledged his side would need a change in tactics.

The forward saw his side beaten 3-1 by France in their last-16 tie, bowing out of Qatar 2022 after a frustrating campaign that saw them struggle in the group stages too.

Having come to this tournament without a World Cup goal in his career, Lewandowski added his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot late on against Les Bleus.

But when asked if he would still be in the frame to feature at the 2026 edition in just under four years – by which time he will be 37 years old – the veteran Barcelona frontman would not commit.

"Physically, I'm not scared of it," he said. "But there are so many things to manage first. It's hard to say now. Athletically, it doesn't scare me, but there are still a lot of uncertainties."

Lewandowski hinted a shift away from the defence-orientated performances Poland displayed in Qatar may be needed.

"It's still a long way to go and, obviously, you need to enjoy the game," he said. "If we attack, try to attack, it's a bit different. But if we play defensively, there's no joy."

Poland were always the underdogs against a France team who, even with several key stars missing through injury, have emerged among the favourites to land the title they won four years ago.

Lewandowski concedes his side were always going to have a struggle on their hands, adding: "It is a difficult match, to play against France.

"We fought and we tried to do our best. We played very, very well in the first half, with a few chances. Maybe if we scored the first goal, it would have been a different game.

"Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the last minute of the first half. It's always difficult to come back from that. We reacted well, we pushed to come back. We can be proud because we tried everything."

Raheem Sterling missed England's World Cup last-16 match against Senegal after travelling home following a raid by armed intruders on his home, Stats Perform understands.

The Chelsea forward was absent from Gareth Southgate's squad for the 3-0 win over the Africa Cup of Nations champions on Sunday.

England officials put it down to "a family matter" before kick-off, and it remains to be seen whether Sterling travels back to Qatar in time to feature in the quarter-final against France next Saturday.

The BBC reported the break-in at Sterling's London area home occurred on Saturday night.

Manager Gareth Southgate said after England's victory: "Raheem is having to deal with a family situation. He's going back to England. We have to give him time to try to resolve that, or be there for his family. That’s the most important thing; we are going to give him that space.

"It didn't impact team selection. I spent a lot of time with Raheem this morning, so you have days where events happen and you have to deal with them. He's on his way home. We are obviously mindful of him being allowed space and respect his privacy, so we don't want to talk about it in too much detail.

"It's not ideal for the group ahead of the big game, but it pales into insignificance – individual is more important than group in these moments."

The scorer of England's opening goal, Jordan Henderson, told ITV: "I hope everything's okay with Raheem's family at home and I hope he goes back and can sort everything out. Hopefully he can then come back, but I suppose he'll have to assess when he gets there. All our thoughts and support is with him."

England defender Eric Dier was asked by Stats Perform about Sterling's absence, and said: "We all wish him and his family well. We hope everyone's okay.

"I just found out before the game. I don't know more than that, just wish him all the best."

Midfielder Declan Rice indicated the day had begun as any other, with Sterling in camp.

"I literally saw him at breakfast this morning and then the manager said he's had some difficulty with his family at home," Rice said. "We'll send him a message and wait to hear more."

Jude Bellingham can be the best midfielder in world football after starring for England in their win over Senegal, says England team-mate Phil Foden.

The teenager helped steer the Three Lions out of a cagey start to emerge as comfortable winners in Sunday's World Cup last-16 tie, nabbing an assist in a 3-0 victory.

It is the latest assured turn from the Borussia Dortmund youngster, who has firmly staked his place in the heart of Gareth Southgate's side at Qatar 2022, helping them to a joint-record goal haul at a major tournament with 12.

But Foden, who bagged England's other two assists in Al Khor, feels the sky can be the limit for the 19-year-old after helping to set up a quarter-final clash with France.

"I don't want to big him up too much because he's still young," Foden told ITV. "But he's one of the most gifted players I've ever seen.

"I don't see a weakness in his game. I think he's got everything. I'm sure he's going to be the best midfielder in the world."

Captain Harry Kane, who ended his own tournament goal drought to add England's second, concurred with Foden's assessment, but also offered wider praise for the winger and fellow goalscorer Bukayo Saka too.

"They're brilliant," he added. "All three of them today, having a big part in the goals, that's what we need.

"We've got a great mixture of youth and experience now. Over the years, it's not been easy for England. Credit to the boys, our mentality was top, and we took our chances when they came."

However, Bellingham himself was quick to pay tribute to one of the squad's most senior faces in Jordan Henderson, after the Liverpool man converted the former's low ball for England's opener when under pressure.

"I saw some of the rubbish written about him playing today," Bellingham said. "It's ridiculous. He's so underrated technically. He delivered again in a big game with a goal.

"The first 35 minutes were tough. They were hard to get through, but the goal was really well worked. When I get into those areas, I'm always confident the boys around me will take up brilliant positions."

Harry Kane surpassed Gary Lineker as England's all-time record goalscorer at major tournaments with his effort against Senegal.

The Tottenham striker fired home the second of his side's goals during Sunday's 3-0 win at Al Bayt Stadium, as the Three Lions set up a Qatar 2022 quarter-final tie with France.

It was Kane's first goal at this year's tournament and took his tally in World Cups to seven in 10 matches, having claimed the Golden Boot award in Russia four years ago.

The forward also scored four times for England in their run to the Euro 2020 final last year, making it 11 goals in major competitions – one more than Lineker managed.

The 29-year-old is now one goal short of equalling Wayne Rooney (53) as England's all-time record scorer, with Kane's 52 goals coming in 79 caps.

Harry Kane scored his first goal of the tournament as England cruised past Senegal 3-0 to set up a World Cup quarter-final against France.

The Tottenham striker doubled England's lead in first-half injury-time after Jordan Henderson opened the scoring 10 minutes earlier.

Bukayo Saka completed the scoring in a surprisingly routine win after 57 minutes with his third goal of the finals.

England's next assignment is unlikely to be as straightforward, with Les Bleus and Kylian Mbappe lying in wait on Saturday.

A turgid opening half hour was notable only for the number of times England squandered possession in dangerous areas, with Senegal unable to make the most of their opportunities.

Boulaye Día saw a close-range shot hit John Stones – VAR ruling there was no case for a penalty – before Jordan Pickford was called upon to produce a brilliant stop to deny the Salernitana striker from 10 yards.

England finally woke from their slumber and, from their first move of genuine quality, took the lead seven minutes before the break. Kane set Jude Bellingham free in the left channel and his low cross was turned in Henderson.

It could have been 2-0 three minutes later with a near-identical move, but this time from the right, Saka sliding it over for Kane who shot wastefully over the bar.

Gareth Southgate's men did double their advantage in first-half stoppage time, though. The impressive Bellingham won the ball on the edge of his own area and burst through midfield before picking out Foden on the left. Foden slid it over for Kane, who took one touch before slamming past Edouard Mendy.

England put the game beyond doubt 12 minutes into the second half. Kane's pass was blocked, with Foden picking up the loose ball and playing a centre for Saka to cleverly lift the ball over Mendy.

The life had long since drained out of Senegal, with Southgate able to make several changes with France in mind.

Spain midfielder Pedri believes their loss to Japan has been a wake-up call for their World Cup campaign ahead of their last-16 tie with Morocco on Monday.

La Roja missed out on top spot in Group E after a shock defeat to the Samurai Blue, but still qualified after Germany beat Costa Rica elsewhere at Qatar 2022.

Having been firm favourites to top the pile and secure a more favourable knockout round tie, Luis Enrique's side will instead face Morocco after their own surprise campaign.

But with no safety net now going forward, Pedri says Spain are more than aware that there will be no second chances after suffering the unexpected defeat.

"We have realised all matches or life and death," he told Sport. "The last game was a tough match. It was a hard blow – we didn't expect that result against Japan.

"Luckily, we have another opportunity. But if we go missing for 10 minutes, if you disconnect, you go home. If they score, it can be the only one they need."

At one point during their final Group E game, Spain looked set to miss out on the knockouts entirely, with Costa Rica instead set to go through as they led Germany.

Pedri revealed he was not able to focus on matters elsewhere after he discovered La Roja could be going out, instead attempting to ensure Spain turned their game around instead.

"I was looking at the scoreboard," he added. "When I saw Costa Rica were second, and we were out, I was trying to look for the goal.

"I didn't realise Germany had took the lead, and we were second again. I was in anguish throughout the game."

Thibaut Courtois says Belgium's current crop of players should not be considered the country's "golden generation" after their dire World Cup campaign in Qatar.

Belgium finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 despite a series of underwhelming displays, leading to hopes of a renewed World Cup bid this year.

However, the world's number-two ranked side suffered a humiliating group-stage exit after following up a 1-0 win over Canada with a defeat to Morocco and a goalless draw with Croatia. 

The Red Devils' current squad – which includes a series of household names including Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard – has often been described as Belgium's "golden generation", but Courtois says that depiction is inaccurate.

"It's a little shameful they called us the golden generation of Belgium when we didn't win anything," Courtois told ESPN.

"We are not a golden generation; we are a generation that had a lot of talent and great players in several European clubs.

"In Russia, in 2018, we showed that we were a Belgium that played good football. In this World Cup and in the Euro [2020] we were not ourselves."

Courtois, a veteran of three World Cup campaigns, will be 34 when the next edition of the tournament begins, but he has no intention of calling time on his international career before then.

"We'll see what will happen, who will stay, who will end their career. I want to play in this [next] World Cup, yes," Courtois said.

"We still have good players and others will arrive. When they finish their career in the national team, it will be in a good phase, not like this."

The expanded 2026 World Cup may not necessarily feature three-team groups amid criticism of the proposed reforms, says FIFA's chief of global football Arsene Wenger.

In January 2017, the FIFA Council voted to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup finals from 32 to 48, with the first tournament under the new format set to take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada in four years' time. 

FIFA initially said the new format will contain 16 groups of three teams, with the top two in each advancing to a 32-team knockout stage, but that proposal has attracted renewed criticism recently.

Several thrilling group-stage finales at the current tournament in Qatar, where Japan and South Korea advanced in dramatic circumstances and the possibility of Poland and Mexico being separated via their disciplinary records emerged, have provoked calls to abandon the plan.

The existing proposal would see an end to groups being decided by simultaneous fixtures on matchday three, but Wenger has revealed the format could yet be altered.

"This is not decided, but it will be 16 groups of three, 12 groups of four, or two sides of six groups of four, like you organise two 24-team [tournaments]," Wenger said on Sunday.

"I will not be able to decide that, it will be decided by the FIFA Council, and I think it will be done in the next year."

Earlier this week, it was also reported FIFA were considering the introduction of group-stage penalty shoot-outs under the new format, with winning teams being granted a bonus point. 

Sixteen cities were officially selected to host games at the 2026 World Cup earlier this year, with Vancouver, Toronto, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City joining 11 locations across the USA.

Brazil's World Cup last-16 clash with South Korea on Monday promises to be an emotional occasion for all associated with the Selecao.

The game comes after reports emerged on Saturday indicating legendary former striker Pele is now receiving palliative care in hospital after his body stopped responding to cancer treatment.

Pele helped Brazil to three World Cup successes and is revered by many as the greatest to ever play the sport.

The 82-year-old, whose condition is stable, remains an iconic figure for Brazilian football, and the team will undoubtedly have him at the front of their minds as they take on South Korea at Stadium 974 on Monday.

Current talisman Neymar will presumably be even more desperate to feature in the match, with tributes to Pele expected from both players and fans.

The Paris Saint-Germain star injured his ankle on matchday one and sat out the rest of the group phase, with Brazil managing to top their section despite defeat to Cameroon on Friday.

Brazil have always been hopeful Neymar will be able to feature in the knockouts, and Tite confirmed on Sunday that the 30-year-old will play as long as he comes through a final training session.

Captain Thiago Silva previously suggested Neymar had a good chance of featuring against Korea.

"It depends a lot on training," he said. "It seems that there will be a test a little more on the field, I don't know if he will put on his boots.

"Only from then on can we pass on something more concrete to you, but until then I cannot pass on ahead of the doctor on this situation.

"[The injury] must be tested, to see how the ankle is, if it will hold up or not, if it will be in a little pain. He will have pain, that's part of it, I've had this type of injury.

"However, if everything goes well as planned, the hope is that he will be available. But I leave that to Tite and the doctor."

Brazil are going to be without Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles, both of whom have been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.

Nevertheless, they will be firm favourites having progressed from each of their previous seven last-16 matches at the World Cup, last getting eliminated at this stage in 1990 against Argentina.

Similarly, South Korea have not played a knockout game at the tournament since 2010, and their only win (excluding penalties) after the group stages came as co-hosts in 2002 when they beat Italy in the round of 16.

But coach Tite insists Brazil – who beat South Korea 5-1 in June – will not be complacent.

He said: "Brazil lost to Cameroon; Portugal lost to South Korea; France lost to Tunisia; Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. I think the results speak for themselves.

"I think these are very strong, very tough matches. I don't think we can think any prior situation makes it easy.

"We need to be very careful. We were very careful with the match against Cameroon. We were. We can't say it's easier and we have an advantage. We can't say that."

By the same token, Hwang Hee-chan – scorer of South Korea's decisive goal in the dramatic 2-1 win over Portugal that took them through at the expense of Uruguay – is adamant the Taeguk Warriors are not in the last 16 just to make up the numbers.

"Just because we play Brazil, it won't mean we will be just happy to be there in the knockouts," he said. "Our objective is to win and give our people something to cheer about. We're not just happy to be here. We want to play well and win for our fans."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

South Korea – Kim Jin-su

One of South Korea's main attacking routes in this tournament has been down the left flank, with Kim Jin-su's quality deliveries a real feature.

Only three defenders have recorded more open-play crosses than his 14, while Joao Cancelo (six) is the sole full-back to complete more of them than Kim (five). Cho Gue-sung has proven an aerial threat already in Qatar, and they will need to exploit every strength possible against the Selecao.

Brazil – Raphinha

With Kim one of South Korea's biggest dangers, Raphinha will want to be firing on all cylinders to keep the left-back occupied and as deep as possible.

But on top of that, Brazil's injury issues could result in a somewhat makeshift backline. It would seem either the 39-year-old Dani Alves or centre-back Eder Militao will start at right-back, and they will be keen for some support, particularly as Son Heung-min also operates from the left as he did initially against Portugal.

PREDICTION

Brazil are, as expected, massive favourites for this. Stats Perform's AI model gives them a 76.2 per cent chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.

South Korea on the other hand, their rating is just 8.2 per cent. But then again, who had them even getting this far before matchday three?

Kylian Mbappe is not concerned by either the Golden Ball or the Golden Boot at Qatar 2022, targeting only a second World Cup win with France.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is a leading contender for the award given to the tournament's best player and the prize that goes to its leading scorer.

Mbappe scored twice in Sunday's 3-1 win over Poland to send France through to the quarter-finals and open up a lead in the Golden Boot race, having now netted five – two ahead of his nearest rival.

But the forward's sole focus was on a positive result for France, rather than worrying about any individual honours at the end of the World Cup.

"To be honest, no," Mbappe said, when asked if he was aiming to win the Golden Ball. "The only objective for me is to win the World Cup. Now to win the next game, the quarter-final is the most important thing.

"That's what I dream. The only thing I dream is to win the World Cup. I didn't dream to win the Golden Ball or the Golden Boot.

"If I get it, I will take it, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to win and to help the French national team."

Mbappe was meeting the media for the first time at this tournament, and he explained this was a deliberate decision to ensure he was in the best possible shape to lead France to glory.

"I wanted to take the floor because people have been asking about why I haven't appeared before the media," he said. "It was nothing personal; I just needed to focus on the tournament, on my football.

"When I want to concentrate, that's how I function. That's why I didn't speak to you before now.

"I was told I would be fined, but I wanted to pay the fine myself. The federation shouldn't pay the fine.

"This is the competition of my dreams. I am delighted to be here. I have been preparing for this tournament throughout the season, both physically and mentally. I wanted to be ready for this tournament, and I am.

"It has been good so far, but we're a long way from the objective, which is to win the final."