Perhaps the greatest game of the 2018 World Cup was played between France and Argentina. These two footballing heavyweights met in Kazan, Russia, on 30 June 2018 in different stages of their development.
The Argentine side was considered, back home, the weakest national team for a generation, whereas Les Bleus had a formidable mix of youth and experience, including the then-teenage Kylian Mbappe.
France would emerge 4-3 winners on the day, and Mbappe made his name known to the wider footballing public. Fast forward four years later, and the same teams are meeting again, this time in the World Cup Final.
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Consecutive Finals
Didier Deschamps’ men are the first side to reach consecutive Finals since Brazil two decades ago. After scraping by England and Morocco, the reigning World Champions have made it clear that they do not need to play well to win.
Argentina, on the other hand, are facing their last World Cup with Lionel Messi in the side. Should the Seleccion emerge victorious, then it’ll be a fairytale end to perhaps the greatest career in the history of football. The Argentines are also hoping to remedy the pain caused by the 2014 Final loss to Germany in Rio De Janeiro.
Messi v Mbappe
The World Cup Final has a perfect built-in narrative as it pits the veteran Messi against his protege, teammate Kylian Mbappe. The former Barcelona superstar has already made it clear that the Final will be his last World Cup game - making it his true last dance.
I can’t possibly predict a winner, however, I can tell you that England are the rightful winners of this competition. Though the scoreboards tell us that France knocked them out, the fact that the Three Lions bagged more goals than anybody and were playing for their new monarch makes them the winners in the eyes of the world.
Mbappe and Griezmann look a terrifying duo this year, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll cause the Argentine defence all kinds of issues. Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez has had a wonderful tournament, and perhaps could be the man to take Messi’s baton into the future.
World Cup Success
Despite all the legitimate controversy hardwired into the tournament, I think we can all agree that the 2022 Qatar World Cup has been a success. We’ve seen some shockingly early departures, a plethora of drama-filled games, and witnessed the Moroccans’ run to the sem-final - the best performance by an African team in the tournament’s illustrious history.
The World Cup Final’s script is already in place - will Messi reign supreme and lift the famous trophy for the first time, or will Mbappe become a 2-time winner at age 23? Who knows, but we can’t wait to find out.
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