Antoine Griezmann called on France's players and staff - and the French media - to ensure Kylian Mbappe is "in the best condition" to lead Les Bleus to glory at Euro 2024.
Didier Deschamps' side are among the favourites to land a record-equalling third European Championship crown in Germany, adding to their triumphs of 1984 and 2000.
The future of Mbappe, who is expected to play a starring role in France's cause, remains uncertain following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, though he is heavily linked with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid.
Griezmann does not expect the ongoing speculation to affect his team-mate, but insists everyone must pull together to put the skipper in the best shape to deliver the goods for Les Bleus.
"He knows how to put things into perspective," the Atletico Madrid forward told reporters during a press conference. "It's up to us and the staff to put him in the best condition. It's also up to [the media] to talk less about it, but I understand.
"We know him. He is a very important player for us. It's up to everyone to put him in the best condition, and we're going to do it so that it takes us as far as possible. He's big, and he knows how to handle all that very well.
Griezmann is gearing up for his third European Championship with France, who will face the Netherlands, Poland and Austria in Group D.
The 33-year-old top-scored with six goals as Les Bleus narrowly came up short as hosts in 2016 - losing to Portugal in the final - while Switzerland beat them on penalties in the last 16 of the delayed 2020 event.
And he believes that solid foundations at the back will be crucial if he and the nation are to be victorious this time around.
"We were so close [in 2016]," he said. "It was the same thing at the last European Championship, with the penalties.
"I have a lot of desire and a lot of ambition, but we will have to prove it on the pitch. For me, the key - even if it's always very boring - is going to be the defence, a solid team, tough during challenges, and very good defensively."
Simeone 'loved' how sixth-tier opposition played against Atletico Madrid in tight cup win
Diego Simeone was in good spirits following Atletico Madrid's first-round victory in the Copa del Rey, despite them having taken 81 minutes to find the net against sixth-tier opposition.
Julian Alvarez opened the scoring with a penalty against UE Vic, before a late second wrapped up a 2-0 victory against stubborn opposition.
Alvarez became the second LaLiga player to have scored in three different competitions this season, after Kylian Mbappe.
But Simeone was more concerned with giving praise to the opposition team rather than finding faults with his own after the match, having named a strong side.
"For us it was not a surprise, we had seen some of the opponent’s games," he said, as quoted in AS.
"I loved how they played with passion, commitment, with intensity every ball and the search to respond to our tactics.
"I'm happy for the opponent because they demanded of us, they made us generate situations that, for the moment we are going through, the goal was going to cost as much as it did.
"In the first [half] we had chances and we couldn’t score, then the penalty came and Julian's goal that secured the win."
Atleti finished with 2.65 expected goals (xG), with 13 of their 16 shots coming from inside the box.
While Simeone was pleased to progress to the next round, he will undoubtedly be expecting an improvement when Atletico host Las Palmas in LaLiga on Sunday.
Rodri wins the Ballon d'Or: Why the Man City maestro scooped the prize
While many expected Vinicius Junior to be crowned the world's best player at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, there was a late twist as Manchester City's Rodri took the prize.
The honour – considered the most prestigious individual gong in world football – comes after Rodri placed fifth in the voting for the 2023 edition, won by Lionel Messi.
Since 2022, voting for the award has been based off contenders' performances in the previous season, with Rodri rewarded for a 2023-24 campaign in which he led City to Premier League glory before shining in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.
Here, we delve into the Opta data to see how the midfielder came to be recognised as the world's best player.
Season unbeaten
Rodri's importance to Pep Guardiola's all-conquering City side is well-established, but the 2023-24 campaign saw it made clear like never before.
City did not taste defeat in the 34 Premier League games in which Rodri featured, winning 27 and drawing seven. When Rodri was absent, they only won one of four matches, losing the other three.
The champions averaged 2.6 goals per game with Rodri involved compared to 1.5 without him, also conceding 0.9 times per outing with the Spaniard and 1.3 times without him.
They collected 2.6 points per game when Rodri featured, compared to 0.8 when he did not – that latter tally would equate to 30.4 over a full 38-game campaign, just more than 18th-placed Luton Town's tally of 26 from 2023-24.
Each of City's last four Premier League defeats have come when Rodri was absent, with the Spaniard now unbeaten in an incredible 52 top-flight appearances (42 wins, 10 draws) since a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in February 2023.
It is no wonder, then, that City were so devastated to lose him to the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in September's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, ending his 2024-25 season prematurely.
The driving force
Rodri has long been viewed as the glue holding City's talented midfield together, but 2023-24 felt like the moment when he stepped up to become a real matchwinner.
Having decided the 2023 Champions League final in City's favour with his goal against Inter, Rodri enjoyed the most prolific season of his career last term.
His eight league goals bettered his previous best of seven from 2021-22, while he also managed nine assists – also his highest in any campaign across Europe's top five leagues.
He finished with nine goals and 13 assists across all competitions. Just Erling Haaland (38), Phil Foden (27), Julian Alvarez (19) and Bernardo Silva (12) outscored him for City, while only Kevin De Bruyne (17) registered more assists. Not bad for a defensive midfielder.
Rodri also enhanced his reputation as a big-game player with several decisive strikes, from a vital equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea to a result-clinching drive against West Ham on the final day, as City edged out Arsenal for the title.
He also did his job in terms of keeping things ticking over, setting new Premier League records (from 2003-04 onwards) for successful passes (3,359) and successful passes in the opposition’s half (2,122) in a single season.
First for City, fourth for La Roja
Rodri's Ballon d'Or triumph is the first by any City player, with Erling Haaland notably missing out to Messi in 2023. It also ends a 16-year wait for a Premier League player to claim the prize, with Cristiano Ronaldo the last to do so while with Manchester United in 2008.
Having been named Player of the Tournament as Spain claimed a record-breaking fourth European crown at Euro 2024, Rodri also made his mark on the international stage.
He is the first Spanish player to win football's top individual honour since 1960, and just the third to do so overall.
Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano won the prize twice after switching allegiance from Argentina, in 1957 and 1959.
This year's award was also notable for the absence of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the 30-man shortlist, and Rodri is just the third player from outside that duo to claim the trophy since 2008, alongside Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
He and Modric are the only non-attackers, meanwhile, to triumph since 2007, when Kaka edged out Ronaldo and Messi to be recognised as the world's best.
Rodri beats Vinicius to Ballon d'Or as Real Madrid snub ceremony
Manchester City's Rodri has won the Ballon d'Or after a sensational year for club and country, beating Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior to the accolade.
Rodri becomes the first Spaniard to win the award since Barcelona's Luis Suarez back in 1960.
The 28-year-old was an integral part of Manchester City's unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title triumph, with Pep Guardiola's side not tasting defeat in the 34 league games that Rodri featured in, winning 27 and drawing seven.
He then kept up his winning habit over the summer as he helped Spain to glory at Euro 2024, and was named the Player of the Tournament, despite being forced off due to injury in the final.
Rodri is expected to miss the remainder of the season as he was forced to undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, and was helped up on stage by Didier Drogba to claim the accolade, with the midfielder having arrived at the ceremony in Paris on crutches.
The Man City star is also the first player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for an English club since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.
Vinicius, who was tipped to win the award after netting 24 goals and adding 11 assists in all competitions last term, finished second, with Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham making up the top three.
Madrid do have a fair amount to celebrate, though.
Carlo Ancelotti was named the winner of the Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy for the best coach, having guided Los Blancos to last season's LaLiga title as well as the club's 15th Champions League triumph.
And Madrid were also picked out as the Men's Club of the Year.
However, there was no one present in Paris to claim the award, with Madrid representatives reportedly boycotting the event after Vinicius' snub for the Ballon d'Or.
Rodri's international colleague, Lamine Yamal, scooped the first award of the ceremony, winning the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best player under the age of 21.
Yamal is the first player aged under 18 to win the award. He scored seven goals and added nine assists in his debut season with Barcelona, and has continued his rapid rise after starring in La Roja's European Championship success.
Yamal already has 11 goal involvements (five goals, six assists) in LaLiga this term, a total only bettered by Barcelona team-mates Raphinha (12) and Robert Lewandowski (16).
The Gerd Muller Trophy was shared between Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
The award, given to football's most prolific forward, was shared for the first time, with both Kane and Mbappe netting 52 goals in all competitions across 2023-24.
Kane enjoyed a fine debut year with Bayern Munich, though his wait for a first major trophy of his career continued, while Mbappe's final campaign with Paris Saint-Germain ended with two honours.
Emiliano Martinez picked up the Yashin Trophy for a second year running after his performances for Aston Villa and Argentina.
In the Premier League, Martinez kept nine clean sheets, helping Villa clinch qualification for the Champions League for the first time since the 1982-83 season.
He also played a key role in Argentina winning their 15th Copa America title with five shutouts in six games.
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