After the reimagined France midfielder covered every piece of glass in their World Cup semifinal victory over Morocco, Paul Pogba compared Antoine Griezmann to N'Golo Kante.
Griezmann has experienced something of a comeback this winter in Qatar, contributing significantly to France's progress to a second consecutive World Cup final, where he will face Lionel Messi, and thriving in a newly discovered box-to-box role.
The Atletico Madrid player, who was a well-known wide forward or second striker prior to this tournament, has emerged as one of Les Bleus' standout players despite being repositioned in a deeper midfield position.
While his attacking qualities are no secret, Griezmann has shown a different side of his game in the Middle East, often sprinting back into France's own half to help thwart opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side.
In their 2-0 semi-final win against Morocco on Wednesday he was outstanding; making a total of seven defensive contributions - two tackles, two interceptions, three clearances and one block - a statistic which was only bettered by defenders Jules Kounde and Ibrahima Konate on the night.
It has been a remarkable reinvention for Griezmann in Qatar, and injured midfielder Pogba believes he is emulating their France team-mate Kante.
He wrote on Instagram: 'Griezmannkante.'
The Juventus star also expressed his excitement at the prospect of back-to-back World Cup triumphs, writing: 'It's near'.
Pogba was not the only one to compare Griezmann 2.0 to energetic Chelsea midfielder Kante, with Blues legend Didier Drogba also saying as much while on punditry duty for BBC.
‘Antoine Griezmann has surprised me but he has the intelligence and quality to do it,’ Drogba said.. ‘He looks more like Kante than Griezmann!’
Alan Shearer was also impressed with Griezmann, saying: '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.'
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