Tonight, one of Argentina or France will be crowned champions of the football world. Whoever wins, it will be a historic title for that country. On one side is Argentina captain Lionel Messi, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner looking to cap his magnificent career with the ultimate prize. On the other is his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe, the French phenom, who at 23, could become the second-youngest player to win two World Cups after Brazil great Pele (in 1958 and 1962).
It indeed is a fitting showdown between the tournament's top scorers who have netted five goals each and one of them will likely pick up the Golden Boot. Messi has already announced that the final at Lusail Stadium will be his last World Cup match and he will want nothing less than the golden trophy, which he missed the last time he played the final when Argentina were edged by Germany for the world crown in 2014. Long burdened with carrying his country's lofty hopes of matching the incredible feat of the legendary Diego Maradona, who led them to the title in 1986, the little man is determined to end the wait for his first World Cup title.
So far, he has ticked all the boxes and seems destined to lift the Cup in his swansong at 35. If he finally wins the World Cup, Messi will earn bragging rights over his famous rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has never won a World Cup, in their long-running face-off to be rated as the best player of their generation. While the 37-year-old Portuguese exited the tournament in tears at the quarterfinals stage, seemingly acknowledging that he had missed his last shot at the World Cup, Messi has dragged Argentina to the final with some mesmerizing football and is just a step away from the elusive trophy.
However, crossing that final hurdle will not be an easy task for Messi's Albiceleste. Standing in their way are the formidable defending champions France, who have motored into the final with clinical performances despite facing injury issues and missing Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema. The Les Bleus passed a tricky test in the semifinal against the gritty Morocco and their hordes of hostile supporters to reach a second successive final. To win the summit clash, the French will again look up to Mbappe, who has lit up the World Cup with his speedy runs and trickery. Mbappe's status would be further elevated with a second winner's medal if France win and become only the third country to win consecutive World Cups, the first for 60 years since Brazil's triumph in Sweden in 1958 and then in Chile four years later, after Italy won in 1934 and 1938. A title would take the French goal machine within striking distance of Pele, who is the only footballer to win three World Cups.
This World Cup final is set to be a spectacle that will cap an exhilarating experience for the fans in Qatar. On the pitch, it is too close to call between these two great teams, one of whom will earn their third title. Whether it is the magical Messi or the marvellous Mbappe who lifts the yellow and green trophy, it will be a fitting finale to the football extravaganza in a final for the ages.
