'Boateng thinks he's Beckenbauer'

Former Manchester United duo Gary Neville and Roy Keane savaged Germany centre-back Jerome Boateng prior to his sending off against Sweden on Saturday.

Sweden took a first-half lead through Ola Toivonen, with Boateng slow to react to the striker's movement.

"Boateng's walking around the place like he's playing Sunday League football," Keane said. "He's been a disgrace. Get him off."

Neville added: "Boateng, for some reason, seems to think he is [Franz] Beckenbauer, thinks he's the player. He's played under Pep [Guardiola] and started to believe he is a fantastic football player.

"He has been a joke in this first half. He's got delusions, thinks he is a player."

'Modric would've won a Ballon d'or if he was spanish'

Croatia defender Dejan Lovren believes Luka Modric never gets the credit he deserves and would win the Ballon d'Or if he played for Spain or Germany.

Modric's second goal in the 2018 World Cup, a superb, bending effort from 25 yards, helped them to a 3-0 victory over Argentina and compounded the misery for Lionel Messi, a five-time winner of football's most prestigious individual prize.

Modric has never even made the top three.

"It is a real pleasure to play with Luka Modric, who is one of the best players in the world right now," Lovren said on Sunday.

"Modric would probably be getting more attention than he is right now if he was a German or Spanish player. He would maybe even be a Ballon d'Or winner.

"But because we are a smaller country, he does get less attention than he deserves."