French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Laurent Koscielny to join him in attending the World Cup final on Sunday, as France face Croatia for the trophy.

French outlet Europe 1 report that Macron has invited both Koscielny and Dimitri Payet to travel as part of his delegation to watch the final this weekend. Both players could well have been playing in the match themselves, were it not for the injuries they sustained late in the season.

Koscielny fell injured in heartbreaking fashion for himself, his club and his country. He was forced off with an Achilles problem in the first half of Arsenal’s crucial Europa League semi-final second-leg against Atletico Madrid, which they went on to lose 1-0.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’ll be back for a while yet, although he’s clearly working hard to make his comeback as soon as possible.

https://twitter.com/6_LKOSCIELNY/status/1017057793382277122

Koscielny would probably feel a twinge of disappointment at not being able to be part of the victory, if France do lift the trophy on Sunday.

However, seeing his country win the World Cup and knowing his injury didn’t cost them would probably override that feeling. Either way, hopefully the defender takes Macron up on the offer and enjoys the match.