Former Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar has made it clear who he is rooting for in the World Cup final on Sunday.

"As a Brazilian, I have to support France!" said the goalkeeper with a smile. "I love Messi. For me he is incredible, sensational, it's nice to see him play.

"But there is that healthy rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. If Brazil were in the final obviously the Argentines would be against us. We are not going to be hypocritical at this moment."

The former goalkeeper, who participated in a match between FIFA legends on Thursday, added that "football lovers who are not Brazilians are pushing hard for Messi to win the Cup because of his history, because of the career he has had so far."

He said the best don't always win and Brazil should learn from that

A World Cup player with the 'Canarinha' in 2006, 2010 and 2014, when he conceded all seven goals (7-1) in the semi-final against Germany, the former Inter goalkeeper commented on Brazil's painful elimination at the hands of Croatia in the quarter-finals.

"Any elimination is bad because a player plans, does all the internal work, prepares well. I think it was no different with the Brazilian national team. We saw how united the Selecao was, they showed it," he said.

"But unfortunately, football is football. And sometimes even the best don't win. So I think that's the way to learn something and take it to the 2026 World Cup."