World Cup final is not just about Messi: France skipper Hugo Lloris

France skipper Hugo Lloris has said that the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday is not just about Argentina star Lionel Messi.

Messi is set to enter his second World Cup final against France and the 35-year-old is looking to sign off by winning the trophy that has eluded him in his career.

Standing in his way is the French side led by Lloris, who during the press conference ahead of the final, said, as quoted by Reuters, that the event is too important to focus on just one player like Messi. The France shot-stopper said that the game was not just about the Argentina captain.

"The event is too important to focus on one player. It's a final between two great nations," said Lloris.

"When you face this kind of player (Messi), you have to pay attention to him, but this game is not just about him."

France have been known to be flexible with their formations during the tournament and Lloris said that there will be a game plan to respect in the final.

"You have to be willing to suffer at times. You have to make the most of the good situations, too," said Lloris.

"Tomorrow there will be a game plan to respect. We are still studying this team and preparing for this big game. There are always things we are not prepared for.

"To face that we need a perfect mindset, to be ready to go above and beyond. We know that we are capable of playing with possession and on the counter-attack. We have a lot of fast players offensively. The strength of our team is that we can adapt to any type of scenario."

When asked to compare the 2022 and 2018 finals against Croatia, Lloris refused to look back and said that the team is aiming to finish in the best way possible.

"We want to write our own story. We want to finish it in the best way possible. As long as nothing is done, the hardest part is still to come," said Lloris.

"We have to be ready to surpass ourselves, to make the effort despite the circumstances with the virus, despite the fatigue. We must finish the job".