THEY SAY

It’s a huge pleasure and privilege to play in such a match, there’s nothing more beautiful as a professional football player than to play in the World Cup final. We have prepared them as best we can. We must stay calm, we must have confidence and we must concentrate -- these are the three words we’ve have been focusing on to get them ready for the final

Didier Deschamps, France Head Coach 

You don’t have to be a giant to play football, I’m happy with where I am. I am happy with where I am and I never cared what anyone else said, it only further motivated me. I’ve seen a great deal of hardship in my life. The most important thing is to never give up, never give in to circumstances, believe yourself and to soldier on no matter what’s in your way

Luka Modric, Croatia Skipper

Tomorrow everyone will be watching us, and I will just say: ‘Go and play your best football’. If we win the trophy, no one will be more proud than us. And if we lose, we will congratulate our opponent. We are here to enjoy this final. Whether we win or lose, tomorrow a big thing will happen in Croatia. We are motivated and confident that we will be able to see 4.5 million people celebrating the victory

Zlatko Dalic, Croatia Coach

A World Cup final, it’s a bit like a boyhood dream coming true. We are so close to the trophy that we want to touch it. This is the game of our lives

Blaise Matuidi, France Midfielder