Rio Ferdinand has chosen Antoine Griezmann as the World Cup's "best defensive player", as he picked the Atletico Madrid star over Manchester United centre back Raphael Varane.
Varane will compete in the World Cup final when France take on Argentina. The Frenchman will come face to face with Lisandro Martinez, as the two defenders find themselves as the last United players left in the competition.
Regardless of the game's outcome, the Reds will be adding a World Cup winner to their ranks for the second half of the season. Erik ten Hag will be eager to reunite with his preferred defensive pair, as although Martinez and Varane are teammates on the pitch, they will put their relationship to one side on Sunday as they do everything they can to help their country get their hands on the coveted trophy.
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The duo have been superb for both Argentina and France respectively, with many even calling for Varane to feature in the team of the tournament. It therefore came as some surprise when Ferdinand named Griezmann ahead of the 29-year-old when naming his best defensive player in the competition.
When asked if the Atletico Madrid star should be considered the third-best player at the World Cup after Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, Ferdinand told BBC Sport: "I think he’s in the conversation no doubt. I think he’s been the best defensive player in the tournament.
"We could show some great clips of him on the ball, creating stuff, but we could show clips as good, if not more important, defensively. That shows you his all-round game, the impact he’s having on this team.
"It requires huge intelligence to be able to do that."
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