Mbappes and Messi in France and Argentina in the World Cup final after a critical early break-up of the Euro 2016 qualifier
After a month of unexpected results, France and Argentina will face off Sunday in the World Cup final.
Both France and Argentina have been blessed with two gifted individuals, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappes, who have delivered time and time again.
Argentina is not as quick in moving the ball from defense to attack, but similarly the team prefers to keep the opposition at arm’s length, rather than try control the game with the ball.
As a result of watching the semifinal back home, Lionel says Argentina will be very emotional.
The goal to see Messi lead his country to glory is something that goes well beyond Argentina and is something that many of the footballing world would love to see him achieve.
He mentioned that Lionel Messi might win the World Cup for Argentina and some French people might think so, but they are going to do everything to achieve their goal.
France will look to Mbappé to light the spark on Sunday after a less-than-ideal build-up to the game. Several players, including the central defensive pair of Ibrahima Konaté and Raphal Varane, were bitten by a virus that hit the French camp.
Konaté, Varane and winger Kingsley Coman all missed collective training on Friday, and Deschamps said there was no further update to give on the eve of the game.
Mbappé’s impact at the 2018 World Cup as witnessed by Paris Saint-Germain captain Didier Domi and his predecessors Didi and Mavuba
Despite already proving he belongs among the elite, Mbappé has continued to improve season upon season and this year’s World Cup arguably feels like the moment he steps out alone as the best player in the world.
He’s already scored five goals, one more than he did last year, and added a couple more assists, so he’s gone up a notch at this tournament.
While he has not scored in the previous two games, his influence has been felt. The only contribution he made to France’s 2-0 win over Morocco was his presence in the game.
Across the last two tournaments, both Messi and Mbappe have both scored or assisted 11 goals, more than anyone else.
The last time the two teams played was at the 2018 World Cup. In the round of 16 they played out arguably the best game of the tournament, with France coming out on top with a 4-3 win.
Argentina has had a much higher percent of possession across the tournament, but showed that against the best teams, it prefers to have less of the ball.
When playing counter- attack football, Les Bleus look at its best. The French are able to dominate any defense with their strength and speed.
Both teams will be very happy to take control of the ball in certain times in the game, but it is also possible that they will allow other teams to control the ball at other times.
Both Messi and Mbappé seem too good to stop once they have the ball and so the game will be won or lost on each team’s capacity to stop either superstar from receiving the ball.
But, with this being Messi’s final World Cup, former France international and current Bordeaux coach Rio Mavuba says this tournament has seen the baton of greatness passed onto Mbappé.
While Mbappé’s physical attributes are undeniable, it’s his ability to cope with such intense pressure that separates him from the others, according to former Paris Saint-Germain captain Didier Domi.
Mbappé was born and raised in Bondy, a suburb of Paris 11 kilometers from the city center and, aside from a two-year spell playing for Monaco, has lived in the French capital his entire life.
His spell at Monaco, where he won his first league title, caught the world’s attention and the teenage sensation moved to PSG in 2017, initially on loan for the first year.
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“For sure, he’s got a lot of speed but I think the best skill is he can do a lot of things. He can run fast, he can dribble, he can score, this is why it’s very difficult to catch him,” he said.
Domi, who played over 100 games for PSG and who now works for the club’s academy in Qatar, says Mbappé holds the weight of a nation on his shoulders but it seems his value reaches beyond just his performances on the pitch, and into the political arena.
French President Emmanuel Macron intervened earlier this year to implore the young star to stay at PSG amid a transfer saga involving Spanish giant Real Madrid.
While Mbappé has likely over a decade left to play at the top level, Qatar 2022 also marks the end of arguably the greatest rivalry in football history – with it being the last time we see Ronaldo and Messi play at a World Cup.
Achieving glory for the national team is more important than the individual accolade of a Ballon d’Or, says Mavuba.
In truth, he has a long way to go before he matches the legacies of Ronaldo and Messi but already, at such a young age, he’s done things that those other superstars have so far failed to do.