Ousmane Dembele hailed his former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi as 'exceptional' ahead of their reunion in Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and France.
After Dembele left Borussia Dortmund for Barcelona in 2017, he played alongside Messi for four seasons at the Nou Camp.
The French winger - who made his move to Spain on a deal worth £136m - was full of praise for the Argentine captain, insisting that he 'gave me a lot' during their time together with the Spanish giants.
Dembele is well aware of Messi's threat and admits that Les Bleus will have to give him as few touches possible in the World Cup final.
'He's an exceptional player, one of those who made me love Barcelona along with Iniesta,' Demebele said.
'I spent four great years with him. He's a normal guy in the dressing room, he helps young players. He gave me a lot.
'He's difficult to control and we'll have to do everything we can to make sure he touches the ball as little as possible.'
Messi is dreaming of winning his first ever World Cup which would cap off a remarkable international career with Argentina.
The PSG star has admitted that the World Cup final will be his last ever game for La Albiceleste.
His former teammate Dembele also made it clear that France will not be afraid to fight back against an Argentina side who have been perceived as being quite aggressive on the pitch in Qatar.
'I don't think they do it out of malice. But in football you have to be aggressive, you have to be ready to hit back,' the Frenchman added.
'We're hoping to counter them and have a good game. I think it's going to be a very good match.'
Dembele has played a key role for France throughout the tournament, starting on the right in a lethal attack with Kylian Mbappe on the left and Olivier Giroud in the middle.
Although he has been a stalwart in Didier Deschamps' starting XI, Dembele is yet to score in Qatar and he will be hoping he can change that on Sunday - when it matters most.
But the French winger has had a less convincing time at Barcelona and there was much scrutiny over whether he would remain at the Spanish giants.
In July, Barcelona announced that Dembele had agreed a new contract until the summer of 2024, which brought an end to months of transfer speculation - including big links to Chelsea.