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France star Antoine Griezmann has somewhat unsurprisingly picked out Lionel Messi as the man to watch in the 2022 World Cup final, but warned his teammates that Argentina have plenty of other players capable of doing damage.
Griezmann has been a standout in France’s road to the final, with the attacker picking up the Man of the Match award in the semi-final win over Morocco.
But Messi, who played with Griezmann at Barcelona, has also been starring for his nation in Qatar. He has five goals so far, joint-top of the standings with Kylian Mbappe.
France attacker ready for ‘totally different proposition’
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Les Bleus will take on Argentina on Sunday, after Messi and Co. defeated Croatia 3-0 in their semi-final encounter.
Speaking after France’s semi-final victory, the France forward said his team are well prepared for the Argentina test, but noted just how special his former teammate is.
“Any team with Messi in is a totally different proposition,” said Griezmann, as reported by RTE. “We have seen practically all of their matches at this World Cup.
“We have seen Argentina play, we know how they play. They are a difficult team to play and they seem to be on top form.
“Of course, not only Messi, they have a strong side around him so we know it is going to be a tough game and they will have a lot of support in the crowd.
“We will get back to work tomorrow, focused on it, how we can hurt them, how we can defend against them. We will be well prepared.”
Griezmann ‘impressed’ by Morocco
France were certainly tested against Morocco, with the African side constantly pushing Didier Deschamps’ men in the semi-final encounter, fighting to the very end.
The defending champions eventually came out on top with a 2-0 victory, but Griezmann was impressed by his opponents, who had conceded just one goal on their way to the last four of the competition.
“Morocco impressed me tonight,” said Griezmann. “They were set up very well tactically, defensively and then in the second half they created a lot of opportunities and caused problems for us.
“Our coach realised and put Marcus [Thuram] on the left and it was a change that really helped as we were stronger on the left to help Theo [Hernandez] defend.
“The fact we scored an early goal made things easier for us as well, the second goal made it more comfortable, but it was a tough game and it comes down to small details.
“A shot can go your way or not, you need a little rub of the green and we are going to learn from this.”
France star fully focused on Sunday’s final
France head into the final as defending champions, having lifted the trophy in 2018. Deschamps’ side defeated Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling final in Russia.
They beat Belgium 1-0 in the semi-finals four years ago, but Griezmann said he is feeling different emotions this time around.
“Against Belgium I cried and I think now I am more focused,” added Griezmann. “I am already focusing on the final on Sunday, trying to keep my feet on the ground.
“I’m trying to remain calm and focused and I’m going to have to recover from this game and prepare for Sunday’s match.”
This man has been 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 👊
What a tournament Antoine Griezmann is having! 👏🇫🇷#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/6tPCKBIjGx
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 15, 2022
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