Saliba not looking for excuses despite playing through pain barrier

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

William Saliba does not want to make excuses despite having to play through the pain barrier for France.

Saliba has established himself as one of world football’s best defenders in recent seasons.

However, there were doubts over the Arsenal centre-back’s fitness for the World Cup.

But the 25-year-old was determined not to let a back issue prevent him from featuring for Les Bleus.

Saliba played the full match as France saw off Senegal 3-1 in their opening match, and ahead of Didier Deschamps’ team taking on Iraq, he explained how he is determined to push on despite the injury.

Kylian Mbappé didn’t have a great first half.

But he was unrecognisable after the break, and his two goals earn France a 3-1 win over Senegal to kick off their 2026 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/V0z88MTCVD

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 16, 2026

“I’ve had some minor niggles for several months. I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League,” he said.

“But the coaching staff are handling it very well.

“The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth.

“I’m not at 100%, but there are plenty of players who aren’t at 100% either – you can’t make excuses.”

As it stands, France are ranked favourites to win the tournament by Opta’s supercomputer, which hands them a 15.1% chance of going all the way.

France are seeking to win both of their opening two matches at a World Cup for the fourth successive edition, having done so in just one of their previous 13 appearances in the competition (1998).

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