'France to win World Cup and Mbappe best player' – Ronaldo on Les Bleus and England

The former Brazil striker told a group of international media on Monday that Mbappe's pace and goalscoring prowess reminded him of his own playing style which saw the 46-year old become the FIFA World player of the year three times and scoop two Ballon d'Ors.

Mbappe was kept quiet by England in 'Les Bleus' 2-1 quarter-final win on Saturday but the 23-year-old is still leading the race for the Golden Boot with five goals at this World Cup.

"I was talking about how fast he is and how good he is and how he reminds me when I played before. So, he knows how to use his ability, you know, how to go faster than the others and use that ability to assist or score. So, I think France is the favourite one to win the World Cup, as I told before the World Cup started. And Mbappe, for me, is going to be the best player for the World Cup." Two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo said 

Ronaldo said England fans should "be proud of the World Cup they played" having tested France to the final minute of a tight game where their captain Harry Kane missed a crucial penalty with six minutes to go to level the score at 2-2.

"England played very, very good football against France. I think it's happening the same as what happened with Brazil. I think England played very good, but at the end, you know, small details change the whole result of the match. But the English people should be proud of the World Cup they played." Said Ronaldo 

France face the surprise semi-finalists Morocco in Wednesday's semi-final with Tuesday's match seeing Argentina play Croatia.