World Cup round-up: Day 30
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The World Cup is the biggest football tournament on the planet and as such, plenty goes on as we reach the latter stages of the tournament. To keep updated with everything that happened at the tournament on day 30, check out our latest round-up:
Trippier given freedom of Bury
Kieran Trippier is due to be given the freedom of Bury following his exploits in Russia.
The Tottenham defender has been one of England’s star performances at the World Cup and scored a brilliant free-kick against Croatia in the semi-final.
Griezmann fights back
Antoine Griezmann has hit back at comments made by Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois about France’s style of play.
Courtois suggested France were playing negative football against them in order to reach the final.
Griezmann says all he cares about is winning the competition, “Does Thibaut Courtois think that at Chelsea he plays Barcelona football? I don’t care how, I want a second star to be on this shirt. That is all.”
England trio train ahead of Belgium clash
Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson all trained with the rest of the England squad ahead of their third-place meeting with Belgium.
The three players had been injury doubts, but Gareth Southgate is expected to have a full squad of players fit enough to be in contention for a starting place.
Southgate planning a few changes
Southgate has confirmed that he is planning to make a few changes to his starting XI against Belgium.
The England boss is keen to take the game seriously, but he will rotate in some areas of the pitch.
When quizzed on his team selection, he responded, “Everyone wants to play but sometimes it is not a good decision to play someone if their energy is not there. It won’t be the same XI but we want to make as few changes as possible.”
The likes of Gary Cahill, Jamie Vardy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be hopeful of featuring on Saturday.
No homecoming parade
Unfortunately for England fans up and down the country, there will be no homecoming parade for the squad when they return from Russia.
There had been some suggestions that fans were going to be given the chance to celebrate their performance in the tournament, but that no longer appears to be the case.
England are opting for a low-key return after their third-place decider against Belgium.
Drogba backs Mbappe for the Ballon d'Or
Former Chelsa striker Didier Drogba is backing Kylian Mbappe to win the Ballon d’Or.
The French sensation has been one of the players of the tournament, with his performances helping his country reach the final.
Speaking about the player’s potential, Drogba said, “I’m very happy for him. And if he continues like this, why not? Why not win the Ballon d’Or?”
The Paris Saint-Germain forward has scored three times so far and is among the contenders to be named as the Player of the Tournament.
Statuesque Southgate?
The whole nation have been taken aback by Gareth Southgate’s compassionate, classy approach to the World Cup and it seems his hometown are making serious efforts to acknowledge the England boss. A petition has been lodged, demanding Sussex town’s council to erect a statue of Southgate as a show of respect and admiration.