Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué balance France rivalry with unshakeable friendship | OneFootball

Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué have kept France’s left wing rivalry in check at this World Cup, staying close on and off the pitch. According to L'Équipe, the Paris Saint-Germain team-mates prioritise their friendship despite competing for the same role.

They say their profiles complement each other. Across 82 matches together, Doué has scored six times from Barcola’s assists, while Barcola has five goals set up by Doué.

France opened with a 3-1 win over Senegal on 16 June in East Rutherford, where Barcola replaced Ousmane Dembélé for the final 10 minutes and made it 2-0 on 82 minutes. In the 3-0 victory over Iraq in Philadelphia on 22 June they shared 15 minutes after Dembélé went off for Doué, then against Norway on 26 June Barcola again came on for Dembélé, played the last 25 alongside Doué and provided him with an assist in a 4-1 win.

In the round of 32, Doué replaced Dembélé during a 3-0 win over Sweden and both were on together for 15 minutes. The exception came in the last 16 against Paraguay, a 1-0 win on 4 July in Philadelphia, when Doué came on for Barcola.

Doué has rejected simplistic labels, noting he can play in several roles, that Barcola is a quick winger who has also featured as a number nine, and that he is more at ease in tight spaces. After the Paraguay tie, Barcola praised Doué’s cameo, crediting him for the move that brought the penalty and saying he was proud of his friend. Their families are close, they share the same agent, Moussa Sissoko, and communications adviser, Jérémy Puzos, and both say they will be ready whenever selected.

Source: L'Équipe