Former France international would rather have Kylian Mbappe than Lionel Messi in his side

Andre-Pierre Gignac says he would rather have Kylian Mbappe than Lionel in his side if he was a coach and had to choose between the two superstar forwards.

Messi and Mbappe have starred at the World Cup and will meet in Sunday's final as Argentina face France at the Lusail Stadium.

Both the Paris Saint-Germain players have five goals to their name this tournament, with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner finding the back of the net in his national team's victory over Croatia in the semi-final.

The 35-year-old delivered a virtuoso performance as he also created Julian Alvarez's second goal in their 3-0 win.

He absolutely destroyed Josko Gvardiol to set up the Manchester City forward, with a fan video making for incredible viewing.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe celebrate a Paris Saint-Germain goal. Image: Alamy

But despite his sensational performances in Qatar, Gignac, whose last international cap came in 2016, has sided with his fellow countryman in the Messi vs. Mbappe debate.

Asked to pick between Mbappe and Messi if he was coach of a team, the Tigres UANL player opted for the 23-year-old, but would rather play with the 35-year-old. Via Get French Football News, he said: "He still has a lot of magic."

Gignac expressed his admiration for Messi and said he'd like to see him lift the World Cup because of his legendary career.

"Today, in Argentina, they want to win the World Cup for Messi," he added. "I am French, but I would like Messi to lift the World Cup because he deserves it for his whole career. His temperament is that of a leader."

Speaking after Argentina's win over Croatia, Messi said Sunday's final will be the last World Cup game of his legendary career.

"I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying," he said.

"Everything I lived in this World Cup has been emotional, seeing how much it has been enjoyed in Argentina.

"There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don't think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant."

As for Mbappe, he'll look to become a two-time World Cup winner following France's triumph in 2018.

Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, France, Argentina, Football, Football World Cup

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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