Tunisia vs France LIVE: World Cup 2022 predictions, line-up news and start time

In the four years leading up to this World Cup, Ousmane Dembele played just seven times for his country, appearing for a total of 200 minutes.

He was a world champion, part of the France squad that won the trophy in Russia in 2018, but he had become the forgotten young man of international football. Actually, no, not forgotten; frequently cited as a wasted talent, a symbol of Barcelona’s eyewatering excesses, the embodiment of the phrase “too much too soon”.

Therefore, for Dembele, just being at this tournament must feel like something to savour.

He looks determined to enjoy it and to make the most of the opportunity. Four years on from France’s success at the last World Cup, he knows that playing on the biggest stages cannot be taken for granted.