Lionel Messi is in Argentina, and Kylian Mbappe is in France. They are aiming to win back-to-back World Cups for France for the first time since Pele’s Brazil in 1958/62.
Argentina will face France on Sunday in the World Cup final. Lionel Messi is aiming to win the honor that has so far been denied one of the greatest players ever.
He is accompanied by the talented Kylian Mbappe, and a France team that aims to win back-to-back World Cups for France for the first time since Pele’s Brazil in 1962 and 1958.
Messi, 35 years old, has won seven Ballon d’Or Awards for the best player around the world. However, he lost to Germany in 2014 in the World Cup final.
Messi’s quest will draw attention to the Lusail Stadium in Doha with 89,000 capacity, which is the most impressive of the extraordinary venues the desert state has built to host the tournament at 8.30 IST.
Didier Deschamps, France’s coach, stated that “I am fully aware that Argentina will be supported by a lot of people.”
“I know Argentina and many other people in the world, maybe some French people, wish that Lionel Messi could win this World Cup. But we will do everything to reach our goal.
Emiliano Martinez, Argentina’s goalkeeper, said that France is their favorite team. We have the greatest player ever.”
Deschamps has had a rough few days after France beat Morocco in the semi-final the first African team to make it to the final four.
His team has been fighting a mysterious virus that has so far affected five players.
Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate, and Kingsley Coman, central defenders, were unable to train on Friday due to illness.
Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot, a midfielder, were eliminated from the semi-final.
Sources close to the French team have reported that players, staff, and others have mentioned a variety of symptoms, including headaches, stomach pain, and fever.
Deschamps stated, “We are trying so many precautions as we can, to adapt as needed and get on with things.”
It was a sign of encouragement for him when all 24 members of his team took to the field at the beginning of their final team training session prior to the final. However, reporters were removed after only 15 minutes.
Emulating Maradona
Hugo Lloris, the Captain, preferred to concentrate on the match. He insisted he wasn’t focusing solely on Messi.
Lloris said, “Lots and people didn’t believe us but here we were back in the final again.”
“We all know Messi’s role in the history and evolution of our sport, but this match is between France and Argentina. We will do everything possible to win the last battle.”
Messi has performed brilliantly in his fifth World Cup, and Sunday’s final will be his last chance at matching the feat of Diego Maradona who led Argentina to victory in Mexico in 1986.
Mbappe is the Paris Saint-Germain teammate and he aims to be the youngest player to win both World Cups since Pele did it at 21.
France can also count upon Antoine Griezmann who has been a highly influential midfielder in the run-up to the final.
Argentina fans will be dominant in the stadium with at least 40.000 expected to be in Doha.
Their passion was a key feature of this World Cup, which was played in a new slot in the middle of the year.
Ricardo Schwarz, a Cordoba teacher, said that “we all believe this will become Messi’s day” to AFP at the Souq Waqif, the center of Doha.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, football news, Sports News, and Live Football here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.