Josko Gvardiol has revealed it was a "great experience" to play against Lionel Messi for the third time - although Croatia crashed out of the World Cup with a 3-0 defeat on the night.
Argentina ran riot at the Lusail Stadium as they cruised to a comfortable victory with Messi scoring the first from the penalty spot, before Julian Alvarez's brace sealed their passage into the final. They didn't know their opponent at the time but it has since been confirmed La Albiceleste will face France in the final on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Croatia will take on Morocco in the third-place play-off a day before with Gvardiol's side aiming to come inside the top-three at successive World Cups for the first time. It has been a terrific achievement for Zlatko Dalic's men to even get this far after beating Brazil in the quarter-final, but Argentina was a step too much.
When asked about his experience of playing Messi, Gvardiol said: "It was a nice experience even though I played against him in the club last season. He is a completely different type of player in the club and in the national team. I am glad that I played against him even though we lost.
"It's a great experience, and one day I'll tell my kids that I played against the best player in history. I guess we will beat him next time."
The RB Leipzig defender, who has been linked with a big-money move to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, struggled against Messi on Tuesday. The Paris Saint-Germain produced one of the assists of the tournament when he spun past Gvardiol with ease on the right, breezed into the box before pulling the ball back to Alvarez to finish.
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It was a moment of pure brilliance from the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, who was superb on the night for his side as they ran out emphatic winners. Gvardiol was made to pay for a lapse in concentration but that wasn't the only time he suffered. Former Leicester City forward Andrej Kramaric added: "Messi is the greatest player in history."
Ahead of the final, Messi has admitted this will be his final World Cup game, meaning it will be his last chance to add the trophy to his illustrious list. Argentina have won the tournament twice in the past, and almost lifted the World Cup in 2014 before they fell to a demoralising defeat against Germany in the final.
He said on Tuesday, as per TyC Sports : "A lot of happiness, being able to achieve this. Ending my career in the World Cups playing my last game in a final. "Everything I experienced in this World Cup is something very exciting , what people lived through, how people are enjoying it in Argentina."
