The world witnessed the most intense battle between two superstars, and Kylian Mbappe seems ready to take over from Lionel Messi.
Argentinians and probably millions around the globe felt the night in Lusail was a redemption story written in the stars. The sight of a dejected Lionel Messi walking past the elusive World Cup trophy at the Maracana was still vivid, and Kylian Mbappe tried his best to usurp the diminutive wizard. But, on Sunday, the story began differently and ended in heartbreak for the French.
Argentina were by no means the outright favourites against reigning champions France. But they disproved any notion of fear as Angel Di Maria weaved his magic and Messi stamped his authority. A 2-0 lead before the break was an unbelievable scoreline, and the Argentine talisman seemed primed to lift a trophy many felt he eternally was destined to lay his hands on.
With that kind of scoreline, teams usually park a Boeing 747 in front of the goal. But Argentina chose complacency. In two shocking minutes of football, France had levelled things up as Argentina got hit by a missile named Kylian Mbappe.
Had Mbappe continued with the momentum and pressure, Argentina would have lost the game and get labelled as “bottlers” for the next generation to suffer. Instead, Messi inspired them and gave the lead back, only for Mbappe to complete his hat-trick and level the World Cup final.
As fate put penalties in charge of deciding the winner, Argentina’s experience trumped France’s. Eventually, the world witnessed what it has been craving since the beginning of time, or at least when people began imagining him lifting the World Cup trophy as Diego Maradona did in 1986.
While Messi fulfilled his destiny, Mbappe waits in the wings to achieve the greatness that may span beyond the Argentine’s achievements. The PSG teammates are the today and tomorrow of football, with Mbappe set to carry the mantle Messi left in Qatar all the way around the world in the coming time.
Lionel Messi: From GOAT to GOD
Diego Maradona faithfuls always had the World Cup trump card when Messi fanatics compared the two absolute legends of the game. So when the Argentina captain made a mark for himself in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship by scoring against Egypt, Colombia, Spain, and Brazil, he seemed destined for greatness.
After all his achievements at the club level, Messi came close to lifting the ultimate trophy back in 2014. And the 35-year-old would have already etched his name in history long ago if Gonzalo Higuain had shown clinical form in front of the goal in that blockbuster game against Germany.
LIONEL MESSI HAS COMPLETED FOOTBALL 🐐 pic.twitter.com/IvDeNtckee
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 18, 2022
Destiny works differently, and despite Argentina’s early loss to Saudi Arabia, fans never lost sight of the dream of seeing Messi win the World Cup. He did that in a style reminiscent of a champion, with seven goals, including at least one in every knockout game in Qatar.
Messi had already won the Golden Ball in Brazil. But this time, he had that and the World Cup trophy to pose together for a photo. Messi winning the ultimate prize has elevated his status, and for decades to come, he shall stand hand in hand with the great Maradona,. And the two will finally be spoken of in the same breath.
That evening in Qatar instantly upgraded his status from GOAT to GOD, and this title shall remain with him until the end of time. Of course, the journeys of the two greats are polar opposites. But their destiny was the same: to bring glory back to Argentine soil And with that, Messi has fulfilled what he was born for.
Whether this spells the end of his glittering career remains to be seen. But, if this is the end, Messi will exit at the right time, standing taller than Everest and broader than daylight. He will now be ready to pass the baton to another shining star from the night in Lusail.
Kylian Mbappe: The rising superstar of world football
France got outpaced, outclassed, and outmuscled by Argentina until the final ten minutes of the game. With a 2-0 lead to protect and Mbappe nowhere to be seen, many fans already started asking a mockingly relevant question “where is Mbappe?”
A Messi penalty and a Di Maria strike had rendered France and Mbappe irrelevant in the contest. Most were only waiting for the game’s final phase to end and see their Argentine talisman lift the elusive trophy. Messi had won the ‘versus-Mbappe’ argument hands down. But the Frenchman had a big ace up his sleeve.
Nous reviendrons. 🇫🇷🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Ni2WhO6Tgd
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 19, 2022
In a flash, he had leveled France to bring them out of the cold and into the contest. The genius of Mbappe was there to be seen as Argentina fans were left disjointed and shell-shocked at what they had witnessed. Had France kept the momentum after the incredible volley from the 23-year-old, they might have struck gold.
Instead, they were left biting the dust again as Messi put Argentina back in the lead. But Mbappe was on hand to revive their fortunes again. A record-shattering hat-trick and a celebration that reeked an aura of confidence not seen in him all game long.
Having already scored in the Moscow final in 2018, this hat-trick has helped Mbappe become the highest-scoring player in World Cup finals. After barely registering anything of note in the game for the first 79 minutes, he dominating the next 40-odd minutes. With that Mbappe won the Golden Boot. But that was to be a mere consolation prize.
Only Mbappe could have singlehandedly brought France out of the cold and put them on the brink of history. His display was unimaginable and sent shockwaves worldwide that only expected Messi to taste World Cup glory. Of course, that eventually happened, but this was one of the most extraordinary football performances.
Mbappe is the true successor to Messi
How many countless players have come and gone with the likelihood of replacing Messi, with not one managing to come close? Only Mbappe has been able to rage against the narrative machine with a record-smashing hat-trick in the final, which puts him firmly in the driving seat to continue Messi’s journey of greatness.
Messi has been an absolute joy for Argentina, Barcelona, and PSG. The little Argentine is the ultimate master of the game. Considering what he has achieved in his lifetime, he is the GOAT without a shadow of a doubt.
For the first time in 52 years, two players were directly involved in 10+ goals during a men's World Cup tournament.
◎ 1970: Müller & Pelé
◉ 2022: Mbappé & MessiWe witnessed greatness.
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 19, 2022
Yet, Mbappe came into the game already a world champion and with the idea of repeating the trick from four years ago. Had France beaten Argentina, it would have put the PSG superstar on the brink of greatness. And he would have even led his team four years later to achieve an improbable third World Cup in a row.
Only Pele has won the elusive trophy three times in his career, making him arguably the greatest World Cup player. However, the 23-year-old still has the chance and time to achieve the impossible dream. It is his time from now on, and Mbappe will not have Messi or Ronaldo blocking his path to greatness.
Mbappe will be about to turn 24 when this write-up comes out, and he will be remembered as the man who almost shattered Messi’s hopes of lifting the World Cup. Not one person from the future will believe that there existed a player who scored a World Cup final hattrick and did not win the trophy.
Yet, the world will have seen that Messi ascended to the throne of immortality with this win. But Mbappe is the heir apparent to the Argentine God. The Frenchman is the future, and despite cutting a disappointed figure while receiving his Golden Boot award, he will remain pumped to usurp the crown worn by Messi.
