By Bonface Mulyungi
It feels a little strange to be watching this World Cup from a TV studio, and not being involved on the pitch.
Until this summer, I had been at every major finals with France since 2012 – four Euro Championships and three World Cups. Now, I am enjoying this tournament in a different role, as a BBC Sport pundit.
France is still my team, of course. I am the number one fan of the French national side, and I wish them all the best, but 2024 was the right time for me to retire from international football.
You need to know when to stop and, for me, that was the time. I was 37, the manager did not play me so much at those Euros and, also, I could see the numbers and the quality of the strikers coming through.
I went to see them play against Northern Ireland on Monday in Lille, which is my club’s stadium, and I was so proud of the team – to see them, and the fans.
The expectations of the supporters is something you can’t really see when you are on the pitch and focused on the game, but it is different now I am one of them.
I want the same thing too – I just wish for them to bring the third star, for a third World Cup win, back home. That’s the dream for everyone.
The USA have always expected Pulisic to deliver
I have some good friends playing for different teams at this World Cup, not just France.
One of the players I know best and appreciate most is Christian Pulisic of the USA, who was my team-mate at Chelsea and AC Milan.
I was not surprised at how well he played against Paraguay because I think that he has got what it takes to take the US team to the next level over the next few weeks – hopefully the calf problem that meant he came off at half-time is nothing serious.
He was just a young kid when he came to Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in 2019 but even then he was an important player for his national team and they put a lot of hope, and also pressure, on him.
At Milan we used to call him by his nickname, ‘Captain America’ because even when he wasn’t wearing the USA armband he was their star player, with the biggest profile.
He had a big responsibility because he was the main face of their team and he was also successful in Europe. It is the same now, even though he has only had a so-so season for Milan. He started well, but then the team collapsed and did not qualify for the Champions League, and he went a few months without scoring.
But, whatever is going on with him at his club side, there always seems to be this expectation around Christian to deliver for the USA, and criticism when he doesn’t.
Mental strength is massive for every player and I think he has been through some tough moments, with injuries or when he or the team has not been doing well, but they have all helped to make him the person he is and now he is ready to face this challenge.
Some people felt he was wrong to skip last summer’s Gold Cup, when he told Mauricio Pochettino he needed to rest, but I felt then it was important to trust him because he knew his body better than anyone.
He was obviously thinking then about this summer, and the most important thing was what happened now.
Because he didn’t play in that Gold Cup, there is probably even more expectation around him now for the World Cup, but I think he is aware of that, and he’s ready for the responsibility, mentally and physically. At 27, he is still young but he is more mature now.
