After more than 60 matches of unparalleled action, the curtain of the 2022 FIFA World Cup finally comes down when France and Argentina take on each other at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday, with Lionel Messi the major focus of attention.
The Albiceleste were given a shocker when Saudi Arabia beat them 2-1 in their Group C opener. It raised a lot of questions, particularly as their 36-game unbeaten record came to an end when they were just two games away from surpassing Italy’s record of 37 games unbeaten in international football.
That was only a minor setback, as the South American giants bounced back and won their remaining group games against Poland and Mexico to finish on top.
Argentina will now be up against a French side that has shown their intent to reclaim the crown they won four years ago in Moscow. Their opening match was a 4-1 bashing of Australia followed by a Kylian Mbappe masterclass 2-1 win over Denmark.
France’s final group game ended in defeat to Tunisia but it was inconsequential as they had already booked their place in the Round of 16 and manager Didier Deschamps decided to alter his squad and use his fringe players.
Argentina are in their sixth World Cup final and are looking to win it for the first time since 1986 when Diego Maradona was at heart of it, his “Hand of God ” goal against England in the quarter-finals still one of the most iconic moments in World Cup history.
It is also a very important final for Messi who has stated this will be his last World Cup. The 35-year-old came so close to winning it in 2014 but Mario Gotze’s extra-time strike left Messi heartbroken despite winning the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.
It has been argued that the World Cup is the only standing in the way of Messi becoming football’s Greatest Of All Time (GOAT), a debate that never seems to end.
Messi has contributed a lot to Argentina and has played longer than any other player in the Sky Blue and White shirt. His 96 goals for the country is 40 more than the next player on the list for most goals in Gabriel Batistuta.
His 171 appearances is also the most for the country, surpassing Javier Mascherano (147) and Javier Zanetti (145).
Should Messi not retire after Sunday’s final and continue playing next year, he would have spent 18 years (since 2005) with the national team, which will see him surpass Zanetti’s 17 years (1994-2011) as Argentina’s longest-serving player.
For France, they are in their fourth World Cup final and will be looking to win their third title. They are also looking to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
That’s a very long time but they do look prepped for it with the likes of Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Hugo Lloris, Ousmane Dembele, Kingsley Coman, Raphael Varane among others all part of the winning squad last time in Russia.
The French squad continues to improve with quality in all departments, a legacy that has been built from the team that won the Mundial on home soil in 1998. It can be argued that most of these players are either of African or Caribbean descent with 15 of such in the current squad.
It, however, does not take away the quality they have even though there’s a separate debate of what would have happened if all these players represented the countries of their origin.
France and Argentina clashed at the previous World Cup, Les Bleu claiming an emphatic 4-3 win in the Round of 16, Mbappe netting a brace while Messi provided two assists. It was France’s first competitive victory over Argentina. The other times both nations met at the World Cup was in the maiden edition in 1930 and in 1978, the Argentines winning on both occasions 1-0 and 2-1 respectively. The 1978 edition was ultimately won by the South American giants. In a total of 12 meetings, Argentina have beaten France six times, drawing three and losing another three, scoring 15 goals, conceding 11 and keeping eight clean sheets.
Mbappe and Messi will be the focus on attention in this final. Both – who are teammates at Paris Saint-Germain – are tied on five goals apiece. Should it remain this way, Mbappe would win the Golden Boot award by virtue of playing less minutes than Messi in Qatar. Both players will also be chasing the Golden Ball award as they are either leading or chasing each other in some statistical categories. Messi has an Expected Goals (xG) of 4.75, the highest of any player in Qatar and is followed by Mbappe with 3.46. Messi has eight goal involvements (5 goals, 3 assists), the highest of any player at this World Cup and next is Mbappe with seven (5 goals, 2 assists).
In total shots per game, Messi averages 4.5, again the highest among players and Mbappe next with 4.2. For shots on target, Messi leads with 2.3 likewise Neymar Jr of Brazil. Mbappe follows next with 1.8. For big chances missed Mbappe leads with five while Messi has three. Messi has also created six big chances in Qatar which is only bettered by former Barcelona teammate Griezmann (7). Mbappe meanwhile has created just two big chances. Messi has averaged 3.5 key passes per game while Mbappe is 1.8. For successful dribbles, Mbappe has 3.5 per game while Messi has averaged 2.5 dribbles.
The statistics show Messi has the edge over Mbappe in Qatar but does that automatically translate to a victory for Argentina come Sunday? Absolutely not. While statistics might paint a picture of a player or team, it often doesn’t paint the larger picture which are not captured by numbers or any other figure.
Argentina are a side that have been heavily reliant on Messi. It has been very telling on how they have played over the years. The danger is that if he is contained or is not at his best, the Albiceleste will have it tough trying to find inspiration from elsewhere. Scaloni has other options such as Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala, but they can not lead on their own the way Messi does.
In the case of France, the team is not reliant on Mbappe even though he is contributing the most. Deschamps has others he can rely on such as Giroud who has four goals in this World Cup and is now France’s all-time top scorer. Griezmann is another player that can pull the strings any time. His lead in the charts for big chances created and key passes in Qatar is an indication of his importance and consistency in the team.
The battles in midfield and defence will be very interesting in this match. The French have more technically gifted players in Aurelien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot, Jordan Veretout and Eduardo Camavinga while Argentina have more physical players like Rodrigo de Paul, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez and Guido Rodriguez. In defence, the Argentines have more physically imposing players like Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez. They have conceded five goals in Qatar and all these were goals that could have been averted with better defending and positioning, particularly against Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands. Ironically, the French have also conceded five goals and their defence line that contains the likes of Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano, have been caught napping on occasion as well.
France have scored 13 goals, tied with England, which is the most of any team at this World Cup. Argentina are next up with 12 and this is an indication that very little will separate these two on Sunday, something bookmakers are very much in line with.
It is already looking like a final that has already entered the annals of history even before kick off, and that says a lot about how much of a blast events have been in Qatar.
