Legion of Honour for World Cup winners

PARIS: France’s victorious World Cup players will all be awarded the Legion of Honour, the office of President Emmanuel Macron said today ahead of their visit to the Elysee Palace. No date has yet been set for the ceremony to hand over France’s highest award for “exceptional service” to the nation, which follows the team’s 4-2 win over Croatia in Russia on Sunday.  It was France’s second World Cup title, 20 years after the team led by captain Didier Deschamps won its first title, which also earned them a Legion of Honour from then-president Jacques Chirac. As a result Deschamps, now the coach of “Les Bleus”, will in theory be promoted from a Legion Knight to a higher grade such as Officer. 

‘Croatia showed small nations can dream big’

Moscow: Croatia chief coach Zlatko Dalic said his side’s appearance in the World Cup final should provide inspiration to other small national teams striving for international football success. With a population of around 4.5 million, Croatia became the smallest nation to reach the World Cup final since Uruguay ion 1950.  “On our bus there is a slogan that says, ‘We are a small nation with big dreams’,” said Dalic. “That’s a good message to all. If you work hard, you can produce good players and get results. You have to believe it is possible. Maybe things have to fall into place. But you have to have a dream and ambition and follow them. Then maybe those dreams can come true in football or life in general.”

We will be part of history: Griezmann

Moscow: France forward Antoine Griezmann hailed his “extraordinary” teammates after Les Bleus won the FIFA World Cup for a second time. “For me, the collective is the most important thing. If you have a strong and united team, you can do anything,” he said. “I have extraordinary teammates and now we’re going to be a part of history. Maybe it won’t hit home immediately but in the future our children are going to be proud of what we have done. Now we have to enjoy it.” Griezmann, who scored four goals during the World Cup, has been touted as a possible winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or, awarded to the world’s best player. The 27-year-old said his immediate priority was to celebrate the World Cup triumph with his teammates, friends and family. “We still have the European Super Cup (in August) to play and I hope that we can win it,” Griezmann said. “But right now I want to enjoy this. I can focus on that later.”  — Agencies