For Yuvraj Singh, it is his favourite club Manchester United that has forced him to switch loyalties from his perennial favourite Brazil to supporting France in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
And the reason is his favourite player Paul Pogba plays for the ‘Red Devils’.
“Past few World Cups, I supported Brazil, but this year I am supporting France because it has Paul Pogba, who is a Manchester United player”, said Yuvraj on Youtube channel SportScreenIndia.
Yuvraj is a self-confessed football buff, who has often dropped in at the Old Trafford to enjoy United’s Premier League home games.
The Indian team also plays football as a part of its warm-up and the witty Yuvraj provided his expert comments on his teammates’ football skills.
“Virat is really fit and can run the length and breadth of the pitch with high speed, but unfortunately, he can never score goals. He has a lot of skills but sadly lacks the finish. I think he needs to work on that,” said the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup victory.
But he had some honest advice for Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya — football is not a sport for them.
“Jasprit Bumrah shouldn’t play football. Hardik Pandya is a really bad footballer. He too needs to improve his football skills”, he says jokingly.
Carrying on in a lighter vein, Yuvraj adds: “Rohit Sharma is a horrible soccer player. He just passes the ball and then doesn’t move. He is always standing in an off-side position. Zaheer Khan is also like Rohit, barely wants to run on the football ground. Ashish Nehra, I would advise shouldn’t play football because everytime he plays, he gets injured.”
So who is a good footballer according to Yuvraj? “Mahi (Dhoni) is an excellent soccer player”, he said.
