The mouthwatering World Cup final between Argentina and France, the defending champions, is likely to feature the sport’s biggest reward, and tomorrow’s match between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at Lusail Stadium is sure to entertain billions around the world.
For many, Messi’s performance in Qatar will provide the Argentine superstar with the victory he needs to maintain his reputation as the greatest player of all time (GOAT).
The 35-year-old, voted world’s best footballer for a record seven times, has relished a trophy-laden career winning everything except the most coveted trophy – the World Cup.
Have fun reviewing movies and drinks
Having already missed that opportunity in 2014 when Argentina lost to Germany in the final, it will be the last chance for Messi who has declared this would be his final. Messi knows it is now or never for him but he is well equipped for the challenge and could have hardly asked for a better build-up ahead of the most important match of his illustrious career.
The Argentina forward will enter the Lusail pitch as a front-runner to win the coveted Golden Boot with an edge over his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Mbappe. With both scoring five goals each, Messi’s tally of three assists is more than Mbappe, who has laid on two assists. Argentina’s Julian Alvarez and France’s Olivier Giroud are also in the race with four goals apiece.
Messi has been phenomenal in Qatar and started scoring from the first match that saw La Albiceleste suffer a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their group opener.
France defeated Argentina 4-3 in a thrilling Round of 16 game at the World Cup in 2018, with Messi failing to score, only setting up two goals for his team-mates. But France coach Didier Deschamps is expecting a different Messi in the title clash than his side faced in Russia.
“Messi, he’s been outstanding since the very beginning of the competition,” Deschamps told a press conference after his team’s win over Morocco in the semi-final.
“Four years ago, it was a different matter. I had imagined the position he’d play, and he ultimately played as a centre-forward against us. Now he’s sharing the front line with a centre-forward, having more freedom to dominate the ball, and making the most out of his own skills. Obviously, he’s one of the best players of the world.”
“Our anti-Messi plan will consist of limiting his influence on the pitch for Argentina, just as Argentina will do with some of my players. And naturally, today’s Argentina team is not necessarily the same one we played four years ago,” the France coach added.
France star Ousmane Dembele, Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate said Les Bleus are up for a tough challenge against the Argentina captain.
“I spent four great years with him. It’s difficult to counter him and we will do everything to ensure that he touches as few balls as possible,” he told a press conference yesterday.
As a 19-year-old, Mbappe outsmarted Messi – 12 years his senior – in Russia scoring two second half goals in the classic World Cup encounter. With a brace, he became the first teenager to score two goals in a World Cup match since Brazilian great Pele, who struck two goals against Sweden in the 1958 final.
For Mbappe, it is about consolidating his position as heir to the throne to be left vacant by greats like Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I always say I dream about everything. I have no limits. So of course, like you say, it’s a new generation. And Ronaldo, Messi — you’re gonna stop. We have to find someone else, someone new,” Mbappe told New York Times in September.
Messi agreed his PSG teammate has all the ingredients of becoming one of the all-time greats.
“Kylian is a different player, a beast who is very strong in one-on-one, who goes into space, who is very fast, who scores a lot of goals,” Messi told TUDN Mexico in an interview.
“He is a complete player and he has proved it for years, and in the years to come, he will certainly be among the best.”
As France look to become only the third country in history to retain the World Cup title after Italy – in 1934 and 1938 – and Brazil – in 1958 and 1962 – Mbappe is hoping to close gap on Pele, who is the only player to win three World Cups – 1958, 1962, and 1970.
With an in-form Messi gearing up to have a last laugh and Mbappe hungry for more success, the battle between the two top-class forwards – in contrasting periods of their shining careers – will be enthralling as they look to help their teams reach football immortality.
HONOURS
Messi
FIFA: Best Men’s Player (2019, 2009)
Ballon d’Or (2021, 2019, 2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)
UEFA: Best Player in Europe (2015, 2011, 2009)
3x FIFA Club World Cup
1x Copa America (International)
4x Champions League winner
10x La Liga Champion
1x Ligue 1 Champion
3x UEFA Super Cup winner
7x Spanish Cup winner
8x Spanish Super Cup winner
1x French Cup winner
1x U20 World Cup winner
1x Olympic Gold Medalist
1x CONMEBOL Uefa Cup of Champions winner
Mbappe
1x World Cup winner (International)
1x UEFA Nations League winner (International)
5x Ligue 1 winner
3x French Super cup winner
3x French Cup winner
2x French League Cup winner
1x Footballer of the Year (2018)
