Stephen A. Smith seems to think 2-time World Cup winner France has never won World Cup

· Yahoo Sports

On the one hand, you could forgive Stephen A. Smith for his lack of soccer knowledge.

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Sometimes, it's just not your cup of tea. We only have so much energy to use as people and sports fans, you know?

On the other hand, if you're going to be a part of a men's World Cup segment featuring Roger Bennett of popular soccer production Men in Blazers, it would probably be smart to, perhaps, do a 10-second Internet search about something you're unfamiliar with. Like, say, the precedent of success for one of the most high-profile teams in the world. Doing something like that, however, would require admitting you have a particular gap in knowledge, even in private to your colleagues. Unfortunately for Smith, that is not something he's known for. Not at all.

So, that makes Smith exactly the kind of perfect person to ask a set-up question about whether France — winners of the men's World Cup in both 1998 and 2018 — is "finally" going to win the World Cup this summer?

Woof, buddy. C'mon now. That sound you hear is me smacking my palm against my forehead:

Do you know what's especially funny about an ignorant Smith trying to set up a storybook "never won it before" narrative for a juggernaut like France that has already reached soccer's tallest mountaintop? The French's current best player, Kylian Mbappé, along with a small remaining veteran core, was what pushed Les Bleus to that legendary 2018 victory in Russia. The only real difference between Mbappé now and then is age, as he was 18 during that World Cup. He's a better player now, too!

Here's some friendly advice to Smith that I know he won't take. Maybe actually prepare and spend at least five whole minutes of cursory research on your phone if you're going to have a sports conversation you don't know much about on television. You could at least do a better job of faking it until you make it. Ah, well, nevertheless.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Stephen A. Smith thinks 2-time World Cup champion France has never won it

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