Olivier Giroud has branded France teammate Kylian Mbappe "a rough diamond" ahead of Sunday's 2018 World Cup final.

France beat Belgium 1-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night to advance to this year's final, and they will take on a Croatia side that recorded a 2-1 victory over England.

Mbappe has scored three times for his country at this summer's competition, and the 19-year-old has now received more praise from his international teammate Giroud.

"In recent football we've never seen that before and he can still improve again and again. He's like a rough diamond and we need to keep polishing it. He's got a big future ahead of him," Giroud told reporters.

Mbappe entered this year's World Cup off the back of scoring 21 times in 46 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain last season.

Written by
Matt Law