Roy Keane loves 'nasty' side of Lionel Messi

Roy Keane has admitted he loves seeing the 'nasty' side of Lionel Messi.

The Argentina captain showed a side of him we don't see too often after his country's quarter-final win over the Netherlands earlier in the tournament.

Messi was being interviewed by Argentine TV when he began to shout at a Dutch player.

READ MORE: Roy Keane surprises fans with 'extravagant' new look for World Cup final between Argentina and France

Many were surprised by the outburst, but Keane said it's a side to the PSG star that he loves seeing.

He told ITV: "Messi has shown another side to him this tournament, which I'm sure the Argentina fans have took to him even more for.

"If they can get over the line, obviously that will be the king with his crown."

On Messi's 'nasty' side, Keane added: "You can't have a career like he's had without having that nastiness, we just haven't seen it that often. We seen it there. It's just a reflection of how much they want to win and I love to see that because you've got to be nasty in top level sport. Love watching that."

(ITV)

Messi will set a new record for most World Cup appearances when he lines up for the 26th – and probably last – time looking to lift the trophy that has so far eluded him.

Angel Di Maria, who missed the 2014 final defeat to Germany through injury, has replaced Leandro Paredes in the only change made by head coach Lionel Scaloni from their semi-final win over Croatia.

Reigning champions France have been dealing with an illness within their camp.

However, Didier Deschamps is able to welcome back both Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot into their starting line-up after the pair were ruled out of the semi-final win over Morocco.

That meant Irbrahima Konate and Youssef Fofana dropped to the bench as Les Bleus named the same XI that started the 2-1 quarter-final win over England.

READ NEXT:

• World Cup Golden Boot race as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and teammates face off in final

• Katie Taylor eyes Croke Park fight after becoming RTE Sportsperson of the Year

• England statement confirms Gareth Southgate will stay on as boss despite World Cup exit

• Frankie Dettori announces retirement as horse racing legend confirms farewell plans

• Morocco star Achraf Hakimi confronted FIFA president Gianni Infantino after Croatia loss

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts