Patrice Evra has suggested Lionel Messi had the World Cup "handed to him" and Argentina. The former Manchester United defender, who spent three years at Old Trafford with Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo , seems to have directly contradicted his former statements about Qatar 2022. During an appearance on French sports talk show Rothen S'enflamme on RMC, Evra discussed their national team's current preparations for the 2026 World Cup and the potential of Zinedine Zidane replacing current boss Didier Deschamps after the tournament. During the debate he referenced the 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina - which ended in a 3-3 draw and 4-2 win on penalties for Lionel Scaloni's side - and Evra made some big claims about the win. He said: "There's a World Cup to prepare for. I don't think it disturbs the group; players must focus on the present, but we can't talk about Zidane in every interview... We should talk about Didier Deschamps. Are people tired of reaching semi-finals or finals at every tournament? "I feel sorry for his successor. Do you prefer winning or playing beautifully? Okay, we haven't won since 2018, but we all know that in 2022, they gave the World Cup to Messi... "Everything was already written. Even the French wanted Messi to win it... The penalty at the start [of the final]... Personally, I say good luck to Deschamps' successor. When I hear people say, 'just another year and a half to hold on,' for me, it's disrespectful." These statements by Evra are opposed to those he made previously when he defended Messi after the words of the now-former coach of the Netherlands, Louis van Gaal. The Dutch side met Messi and Co in the quarter-finals of the tournament, and the game ended 2-2. Argentina won the penalty shoot-out 4-3, and following this, then-coach Van Gaal accused the Argentinian players of being let away with fouls throughout the game. Speaking to Dutch outlet NOS, he said: "I don’t really want to say much about it. "When you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals, and how some Argentina players overstepped the mark and were not punished, then I think it all premeditated game. I mean everything I say." At the time, Evra disagreed with Van Gaal's statement as he said: "Messi led Argentina to victory. People say he didn't win the World Cup because he scored five penalties. I ask them to go and score those penalties." The ex-right-back continued his defence of in a discussion with Rio Ferdinand on Twitch, adding: "I don't understand why people argue with that. You have all that pressure; the whole world and the country are watching you. If you miss that, people will never forgive you." Even days after Messi had lifted the golden trophy in front of his national team, Evra took to social media to praise the footballing icon. The 43-year-old said: "People talked a lot in the run-up saying that 'if he wins, he's the greatest'. "I think it's disrespectful. You are the greatest. Winning this World Cup means you're not going to live in the shadow of Diego Armando Maradona anymore. "I put on my sunglasses because I'm crying. I cried all night. Happy Monday to all my brothers in Argentina. I love this game. People were saying, ‘Where is Messi?' Messi is with the cup." So despite all these defences of Messi's World Cup win, it seems Evra may have changed his tune in recent times as he continues to struggle with the issues in France's national team. Deschamps has confirmed he will be stepping down as the head coach of the country following the 2026 World Cup, with many backing Zidane to step in and take the reins. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.