Raphael Varane on France's World Cup final heartbreak

Raphael Varane has revealed that, while disappointed at losing the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, he is also immensely proud of the fight France showed to claw themselves back into the game.

Les Bleus looked well beaten by the 75th minute of the final as Argentina had taken a commanding 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria.

France fought back bravely however, with a quick brace from Kylian Mbappe taking the game to extra time, before the PSG superstar’s third goal brought his side level again in extra time after Messi had given Argentina another lead.

Despite their best efforts, France would eventually lose the game on penalties as Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni missed their spot kicks.

Speaking after the game to TF1, Varane discussed the pride he felt over the effort France put in on Sunday:

“We are very disappointed of course, we gave everything. We had to face a lot of obstacles during the competition, we gave up nothing.

“For an hour , we weren’t in the match. We could have won too, I’m very proud of this group and of being French. We keep our heads up. We came back to this match when it was complicated. was played very quickly, then physically we were better.

“We pushed and we believed in it until the end. We almost overturned the match, which was badly embarked. The course was winding but there was mental strength in this group, a lot of heart. This allowed us to come back in this match. We are disappointed but also proud.”