GARY NEVILLE has named his standout player of the World Cup – and it is not Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe.
The two stars go head-to-head today as Argentina face France in the World Cup final.
France’s Antoine Griezmann is hoping to fire France to World Cup glory
Gary Neville insists that Griezmann has been the standout performer at the tournament
The pair are also battling it out to win the Golden Boot, with both joint-top of the scoring standings on five apiece.
Whoever comes out on top will most-likely not only get their hands on the Golden Boot, but will be strong favourites to get the Golden Ball accolade too, an honour given to the player of the tournament.
However, Manchester United legend and former England star Neville is adamant that another player has outshone both in Qatar.
And it is Mbappe’s team-mate Antoine Griezmann, 31, who has impressed the ITV pundit the most.
Speaking about Atletico Madrid’s on-loan forward from Barcelona on the Football Daily, Neville said: “He’s been unbelievable and I think he has been the best player at the tournament in terms of overall player.
“He’s done whatever his team has needed at every point in the game for them to win.
“He played in the right channel against Morocco the other night and delivered success.
“Then, in the second half when they were getting outrun and overplayed, he went back into a three in midfield.
“After that he then went and played deep in his own box winning tackles and headers and other things.
“He’s been unbelievable Griezmann.”
Neville added: “I didn’t realise how great he was until I played against him with Valencia against Atletico Madrid.
“You see him in real-life and the sharpness, the intelligence of him, and the weight of the pass is a beautiful thing.”
Griezmann has featured in all six matches for Les Bleus at the tournament but is yet to find the net.
But that has not stopped his nation from dreaming about him firing them to a second-straight World Cup success.
