Carlos Tevez

France captain Hugo Lloris has said that Les Bleus’ win over Argentina gave them the belief that they could go on to win the 2018 World Cup. Didier Deschamps’ side secured an exciting 4-3 win over the Argentines in the round of 16 stage and they thereafter managed to maintain their composure to secure a second World Cup crown.

Speaking to Omnisport, Lloris highlighted the Argentina win as the key moment which made them realise that they could end their trophy wait, he said: “We got the best of Argentina… of Messi's Argentina. It made us realise we have the potential to go through. Every game was difficult, but we did really well. We could feel a very strong team ready for the challenges ahead. We faced challenges after challenges following that game until the final victory. Every game was difficult, but we did really well.”

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has highlighted that he would be resting key players during the final group stage game against Iceland despite the concerns raised by the head coaches of Argentina and Nigeria. The Croats are already assured of top spot in their World Cup group after sealing comfortable wins over Nigeria and Argentina.

Speaking in a press conference, Dalic stressed that Croatia would be making any favours for their opponents and their opponents would rather mind their own business, he said: “I don't care what other teams are saying. We're minding our own business. What others are commenting, that's their business.”

After playing a dominant role as Real Madrid went on to win their third straight UEFA Champions League title, and helping Croatia to the final of the World Cup, all in one year, as well as being awarded the Golden Ball in Russia, shouldn’t Luka Modric be the one to end the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi duopoly?

The Croatia international finished in the top five last year but with regular outstanding peformances for club and country and winning titles, shouldn’t the experienced midfielder get the nod this time?

Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez has admitted that he misses playing for Juventus, though he is content to have returned to Argentina. The 34-year-old, who spent two seasons at the Bianconeri between 2013 and 2015, recently returned to Italy for Andrea Pirlo’s testimonial at the iconic San Siro stadium.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: “I follow the Italian league on TV. I’m happy that Juventus won but I’m not surprised, I always thought they’d finish in front of Napoli. They deserved the title, it’s a great club with extraordinary players.Success is part of their DNA, if it wasn’t they wouldn’t have been able to put together this incredible run. I miss Turin and Juventus, those were two beautiful years, but I needed to go home.”

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has admitted that he could step down from international duties following the summer World Cup in Russia. The 30-year-old initially retired from international football following a second successive Copa America final defeat to Chile in 2016 but he thereafter changed his mind to guide the nation through a tough World Cup qualifying campaign.

Argentina faced a must-win game against Ecuador in the final round of the qualifiers and Messi duly delivered for theAlbiceleste with a hat-trick to send them to the World Cup. Since then, there has been plenty of talk of Messi announcing his international retirement following the World Cup and he has now admitted that it could be the case, should the nation fail to win the global tournament.

Carlos Tevez has confirmed that his intention to retire from professional football once his contract with Boca Juniors concludes in 2019. The 34-year-old re-joined his hometown club for the third time after a short spell with Chinese heavyweights Shanghai Shenhua, where he was allegedly the highest-paid player in the world.

Argentina international Carlos Tevez has dismissed ‘bullshit’ reports which have associated his recent calf problem with a prison-yard kick about last week. The Boca Juniors striker had paid a visit to his half-brother at Bouwer’s prison, where he was alleged to have sustained the injury.

Carlos Tevez has once again returned back to Boca Juniors after having decided to terminate his Shanghai Shenhua contract well earlier than scheduled. Tevez made headlines when he made the switch to Shanghai Shenhua, after signing a contract that made him the world’s best paid player. The Argentine was earning around £ 620,000 per week – more than double that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at that period. Even though he has cost a bomb, Tevez failed to deliver the goods at the Chinese club.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi believes the upcoming World Cup in Russia is likely to his final crack at winning a major title with the Argentina national side. The 30-year-old has won everything within reach in club football, but he has yet to witness a similar feat with Argentina, having lost in the finals of the 2014 World Cup.

Everton striker Wayne Rooney has claimed that he experienced the best time of his career when he was paired alongside Carlos Tevez at Manchester United. The former England international re-joined the Toffees on a free transfer last summer after he ended his 13-year association with Manchester United, where he became their all-time goalscorer.