Raphael Varane lauded Paul Pogba after the midfielder starred for France in their Euro 2020 opener against Germany.
Didier Deschamps' world champions started their Group F campaign with a 1-0 win in Munich on Tuesday – Mats Hummels' own goal the difference.
France also had two goals disallowed for offside, with Germany never truly clicking into gear as Joachim Low's decision to recall some veteran campaigners did not go according to script.
Instrumental in the win was Pogba, whose exceptional pass to Lucas Hernandez ultimately resulted in the unfortunate Hummels, who looked ponderous and out of place in Germany's back three, turning into his own net.
Playing on the right of a midfield three alongside Adrien Rabiot and N'Golo Kante, Pogba attempted more passes (52) than any of his team-mates, with 40 of them (76.9 per cent) finding a blue shirt.
His 78 touches topped the charts for France, while no other player on the pitch drew more fouls (four), made more interceptions (three) or gained possession on more occasions (12) than the Manchester United man.
"He started very early with France, he plays with a lot of maturity, he has so many qualities," Varane said of Pogba.
"The difficulty for him is to choose when to use his force. He is a complete player. He has found a balance in his game, he has been performing for many years, he brings a lot to the group in relation to his character. He is at a very good level."
Asked if Pogba could be a choice to captain Les Bleus, Varane added: "The captain's armband for Pogba in the future? He's maturing. He has this strength of character, he knows how to convey that to the group, he is respected and on top of that he sets the mood!
"He's a leader, he could easily wear the French team's armband."
Varane partnered Samuel Umtiti during France's successful run at the 2018 World Cup, but played alongside the sometimes erratic Presnel Kimpembe at the heart of Les Bleus' defence on Tuesday.
They combined for 12 clearances – Varane's tally of nine a game-high – and looked solid against a Germany attack featuring Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz and the returning Thomas Muller.
"It's a collective performance. When [Kylian] Mbappe loses a ball and recovers it five seconds later, that gives us strength," Varane said, referencing the high press France deployed at the Allianz Arena.
"Kimpembe and I have complementary qualities, we talk a lot. It's not a question of motivation in this kind of match. We motivate each other.
"We also spoke a lot with our midfield to defend well and succeed in countering opposing attacks. We had to be very focused."
Bellingham: Champions League triumph 'the best night of my life'
Jude Bellingham described becoming a Champions League winner as the best night of his life after helping Real Madrid down his former club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
Madrid clinched a record-extending 15th European crown on Saturday, claiming a hard-fought 2-0 win over Dortmund, who spurned several clear opportunities in the first half.
Dani Carvajal headed in Toni Kroos' corner for the 74th-minute breakthrough, before an Ian Maatsen error allowed Bellingham to slip in Vinicius Junior for a late second.
At the age of 20 years and 338 days, Bellingham became the third-youngest player to start a Champions League final for Madrid, after Iker Casillas in 2000 (19 years, four days) and Raul in 1998 (20 years, 327 days).
He also became the third-youngest English player to do so with any team after Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2018 (19 years, 231 days) and Owen Hargreaves in 2001 (20 years, 123 days).
Speaking to TNT Sports immediately after the full-time whistle, Bellingham was lost for words to describe the feeling of becoming a European champion.
"I've always dreamed of playing in these games," he said. "You go through life and there are so many people saying you can't do things and days like today remind you why you do it.
"When it gets hard at times you start to wonder if it's all worth it. Nights like tonight make it all worth it.
"I was okay until I saw my Mum and Dad's faces. The nights they could have been home at seven o'clock but they were still out at eleven or twelve taking me to football.
"My little brother there who I am trying to be a role model for too... it's hard to put it into words. It's the best night of my life."
Ancelotti: Real Madrid's 15th European title was harder than expected
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti felt winning the European Cup for a record-extending 15th time on Saturday had been much more difficult than expected for the Spanish champions.
Los Blancos needed two late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior to beat Germany's Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League final at Wembley.
"I never get used to it, because it was difficult, very difficult, more than expected," Ancelotti told Movistar Plus+.
"In the first half we were a bit lazy, we had losses and they [Dortmund] were able to play how they wanted, but in the second half we were better and more balanced, with fewer losses.
"This is a dream that continues. I don't know what is going to happen tonight, but we are not going to sleep!"
Ancelotti added to TNT Sports: "It seems a dream but it is reality. Really happy for sure. A final is always like this [with good and bad parts of the game].
"We were able to win, it was a fantastic season and we are really happy to be able to win the cup again."
Asked how Madrid are able to keep winning the Champions League, he replied: "It is the history and tradition of the club and of course the quality of the players.
"The club is a family, we work all together without problems and the atmosphere is really good in the dressing room.
"I need to thank the club and the players, no big egos, really humble, it was not difficult to manage the squad this season."
Carvajal also acknowledged Madrid had been fortunate to escape from a first half where Dortmund squandered a host of good goalscoring opportunities.
"After the first half we had, we didn't even deserve to go the changing room with a level score, but this is football and we are very, very happy," said defender Carvajal, who scored the first goal by heading in Toni Kroos’ corner.
For Dortmund, it was another Champions League final loss at Wembley, which also hosted their 2013 defeat by domestic rivals Bayern Munich.
"At the moment we are bitterly disappointed," said Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel. "Against Real you don’t get too many chances and they always become dangerous.
"We had our chances and should have done a bit more.
"We are still disappointed, but 100% it was a huge success to come here and play this game, so we are very proud."
Reus' Dortmund send-off ends in heartbreaking Champions League defeat
Borussia Dortmund's hopes of sending Marco Reus off with a Champions League title ended in heartbreak as they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid on Saturday.
After 12 years with his boyhood club, Reus announced the Wembley showpiece would be his final match for Dortmund.
But despite a dominant first-half performance, they could not beat the serial winners, who scored two late goals through Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior to win their 15th European crown.
Edin Terzic’s side were given just a 21.4 per cent chance of victory by the Opta supercomputer before kick-off, but they came out of the blocks quickly with the aim of flipping the script.
Dortmund’s expected goals (xG) figure of 1.68 in the opening period was the largest by a team in the first half of a Champions League final on record (since 2013-14), and was also the highest by an opponent against Madrid in the first half this term.
Their two big chances fell to Niclas Fullkrug and Karim Adeyemi, the former striking the post and the latter forcing a good save out of Thibaut Courtois, having earlier wasted a one-on-one chance with the Belgian goalkeeper.
The German team were solid in defence too, forcing Madrid into half-time without having a single shot on target – the first time that has happened to any team in a Champions League final since Tottenham versus Liverpool in 2019.
Julian Brandt looked to be key for the Black and Yellow, creating four chances, the most in a Champions League final since Luka Modric against Atletico Madrid in 2015-16 (seven), though that tally would be equalled by Toni Kroos in the second half.
Reus was brought on for his 424th and final BVB appearance in the 72nd minute, hoping to sign off in the perfect way, but it was another departing German that soon caught the eye.
Kroos, playing for Madrid for the last time ahead of his retirement, set up Carvajal for Madrid’s opener just two minutes later.
Gregor Kobel saved 46 of the 56 shots on target he faced this season in the competition, and he made three big stops to keep Dortmund in the contest at 1-0.
However, an Ian Maatsen mistake led to Madrid’s second, with Dortmund conceding in the final 15 minutes of a Champions League game for the first time this campaign as Jude Bellingham slipped in Vinicius to convert.
Dortmund have now only won one of their last five finals in major European competitions (3-1 versus Juventus in the 1997 Champions League), losing each of their last three in a row (against Feyenoord in 2002, Bayern Munich in 2013 and Madrid in 2024).
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