Paul Pogba has stirred more controversy with Jose Mourinho following a recent statement made about captaincy and leadership. The 25-year-old midfielder has dominated headlines in weeks gone by for recurrent scuffles involving him and his club's manager.
The most notable among a handful of disputes is seen in the former Juventus midfielder being stripped of his captaincy by the Portuguese coach. The act is reportedly said to have been provoked by the former questioning his manager's tactics after the 1-1 draw with Wolves back in September.
Currently in camp with the French national team ahead of its upcoming games against Iceland and Germany, Paul Pogba was quick to deflect praises from his compatriot Adil Rami who tagged him as the team's "real leader" at the World Cup.
Instead, the former Juventus player attributed the success he enjoyed to the collective efforts of his teammates.
"It really pleased me to hear Adil say that," Pogba told AFP.
"I would never say it's me, it's the squad who put me in that position, who gave me the freedom to express myself. They gave me confidence as well.
"I couldn't have done it without them. It all began like that, from our training camp. I spoke with Hugo (Lloris), Blaise (Matuidi), (Raphael) Varane, to say that this World Cup we really had to put everything in place to win it. I was really determined."
Paul Pogba further highlighted that becoming captain for Les Bleus was not a main objective at the moment. He also iterated that leadership transcends beyond just wearing the armband in a team.
"I've never played in the France team to be captain, being here is already a big thing for me," he added.
"You don't have to be captain in order to speak, a leader is not someone who has the armband. As a leader, you can talk on the pitch but I've seen leaders who didn't necessarily talk."
