Ben Yedder celebrates goals with call-up to France squad
Wissam Ben Yedder has been rewarded for helping to knock Manchester United out of the Champions League with a first call-up to the France squad.
France coach Didier Deschamps named the forward in his squad on Thursday for upcoming friendly matches against Colombia at Stade de France on March 23 and against Russia in St. Petersburg four days later.
Ben Yedder took his Champions League tally to eight goals this season by scoring two in Sevilla’s 2-1 victory at United on Tuesday in the last 16.
“Those two goals don’t change everything, even though they’re to his credit, because the Champions League is the highest level and he helped his team to win at Old Trafford,” Deschamps said.
“But they confirm all the good things he’s done in the past few seasons, scoring at least 15 each season despite not starting all the games. He has the ability to come off the bench and score, which isn’t given to everyone.”
Ben Yedder is in his second season with Sevilla and has scored 37 goals in 74 games for the Spanish side, having scored 71 in 174 with French club Toulouse.
His days as a former international futsal player have finetuned his skill, touch and movement.
“He has great mobility and speed,” Deschamps said. “He’s very efficient, too, which is a great quality for a striker.”
Ben Yedder was signed by Sevilla to replace Kevin Gameiro after he joined Atletico Madrid.
“Thanks to everyone, I have no words for this happiness,” Ben Yedder wrote on Twitter. “Everyone knows how much I hoped this day would arrive and how hard I worked.”
He tweeted a separate photo of himself playing for non-league team Alfortville in the Paris suburbs back in 2010, along with the words “always believe in your dreams.”
With Lyon forward Nabil Fekir out of form and nursing an injury, Ben Yedder can stake a late claim to be in France’s World Cup squad.
Winger Franck Ribery did the same in 2006, breaking into the squad late and becoming an integral part of the side which reached the final.
Deschamps also called up Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez for the first time.
Marseille winger Florian Thauvin kept his place but attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet, his club teammate, missed out despite some good recent form.
France
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Lucas Digne (Barcelona), Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)
Wissam Ben Yedder (Sevilla), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)