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Andre-Pierre Gignac believes his gamble has paid off after earning a recall to the France squad despite leaving Marseille for Mexican side U.A.N.L Tigres over the summer. Gignac, 29, netted 21 goals in Ligue 1 during his final season in France before deciding to end his five-year stay at Marseille. Monterrey was something of a surprise next destination but the former Lorient and Toulouse front man has thrived in Mexico -- scoring 11 times in 14 Liga MX matches so far. Such form was enough to convince France manager Didier Deschamps to recall the striker for his country's friendly matches against Germany on Friday and against England in London next week. "I said recently to a French TV station that came to meet me in Monterrey that my odds were 100 to 1 against," Gignac said on Tuesday, in reference to his chances of adding to his 21 caps for France. "The people who bet on me will have won a lot of money." Gignac has enjoyed a rollercoaster few months in Mexico as he also helped Tigres reach the final of the Copa Libertadores, the top club competition in Latin America. Tigres lost the two-legged decider against River Plate of Argentina in August but it was another enjoyable experience in what has proved a beneficial choice. "It shows that it wasn't all that bad a decision to exile myself a bit, 10,000 kilometres away from France," he told a news conference. "The Mexican league is one where at the back they're very tough. There are stubborn players from Argentina, Colombia and Brazil. "In midfield there are some lively smaller players and in attack there are some good goal scorers, whether they're from Mexico, Brazil or Argentina. "When you see the Mexican national team playing you say to yourself that the Mexican league is not all that bad. "And I really think that too because from what I've seen every weekend they're every bit as good as some Ligue 1 clubs." Gignac said he was keen to prove that he was not there on holidays and also revealed that his success had attracted interest from more players based in Europe. "I think I've opened a few doors," he said. "Without naming names of course but some players have called me to ask me to talk about them with my club. "So I think I can be a trailblazer because apparently some players are interested in the Mexican league now. "There's huge enthusiasm [in Mexico]. But there's pressure too when you're playing in front of full stadiums."
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