The Controversial French Midfielder Helps Kylian Mbappe Shine at the World Cup

For neutral observers, supporting Adrien Rabiot is not always easy. Rabiot's dependence on the field is often overshadowed by his strange habits which annoy the coach, club and his teammates. However, if France are to reach a third successive World Cup final and reclaim the trophy from Argentina, Didier Deschamps will need the often-underrated midfielder to continue proving the critics wrong.

Rabiot provided a stunning assist in France's 3-1 win against Senegal to kick off the World Cup. He has changed a lot since eight years ago when he emailed Deschamps saying he would not accept a place on the reserve list for the 2018 World Cup, where Les Bleus triumphed. Shortly after, he was dropped by Paris Saint-Germain due to a dispute involving his mother and his agent, Veronique, which received public attention.

However, Rabiot began to develop at Juventus, to the point that Andrea Pirlo, who once served as Old Lady coach, called him a "complete" midfielder who could combine the technical and physical sides of the game. High praise from one of the great coaches who struggled with the physical aspect. Slowly, Rabiot worked his way back into the national team and while in Qatar, he was an important part of the road to the most historic World Cup final, although he missed the match against Morocco due to illness.

Now, Rabiot is one of Deschamps' mainstays, one of the cleanest players when it comes to hard work, and a figure who is clearly more appreciated by his current colleagues than many players before him. "A man with incredible resilience," Kylian Mbappe said of Rabiot before the tournament started. "Whatever is said about him, whatever happens to him, he is always there. He has weathered many storms and when you look at his career, his CV speaks for itself."

Despite not yet having a World Cup under his belt, if Mbappe is to win a second, the leading star knows that Rabiot's unobtrusive presence two rows behind him will be heavily relied upon. Maybe not against Iraq in Philadelphia on Monday night, but from a closer group against Norway on Friday and heading into the knockout rounds, it should be increasingly clear that this iteration of the fraternité is much more than just a front four.

Despite many criticisms of Deschamps' vague philosophy, he always considered balance to be at the core of all game plans. By surrendering such a sumptuous attack, the emphasis on Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni to bring control behind the chaos was greater than ever. "With Aurelien, we need to maintain this balance," Rabiot said before the tournament started. "We are not limited by the coach, but in this setting, we need to find the right adjustments with four key attacking players who can make the difference."

Early signs are promising. Rabiot's assist to Bradley Barcola for France's second goal against Senegal was sublime, being one of the best assists of the tournament so far, and he managed to get a lot of work done unnoticed against an opponent whose mobility can trouble many teams. There is an elegance about Rabiot that is often overlooked due to the perception that he is just a hard worker. This perception is of course exacerbated by the fact that he shares the pitch with some of the most thrilling forwards in the game.

His physical abilities may limit appreciation of his technical abilities. A team with a talented centre-forward has been criticized for its lack of matchless work ethic when without the ball requiring all players to be committed. Deschamps knows that in Rabiot, he can place full trust to keep running, keep fighting and keep trying - even though his presence will seemingly forever be in question.