Robbie Slater: Messi pressure and heir apparent Kylian Mbappe to spoil Argentine’s dream farewell

In one corner you have Lionel Messi, the Argentine genius rightly regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time.

At 35, this is realistically his last chance to add World Cup success to an already formidable CV that includes a mountain of individual and club honours, and last year’s Copa America title.

Without Messi’s brilliance, Argentina wouldn’t be in the final.

Just as the great Diego Maradona did when Argentina last won the tournament in 1986, and again in 1990 when La Albiceleste were beaten finalists, Messi’s small frame has been able cope with the pressure of having to carrying the team on his back.

His performance in Argentina’s 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia was close to perfect.

Can Messi lift one more time, or will the pressure ­—­ and some close French attention ­— prove too much for even the legend to ­handle?

And while Argentina has Messi, France has his heir apparent and PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Still only 23, Mbappe has already won a World Cup, and showed he can rise to the occasion by scoring in Les Bleus’ 4-2 victory over Croatia in the 2018 final.

People say Mbappe was quiet in France’s 2-0 semi-final win over Morocco, but he had a hand in both goals.

Fittingly, both Mbappe and Messi both remain in contention to win the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot, the awards given the tournament’s best player and top goalscorer respectively.

A dominant performance in Monday morning’s final from either player could seal one or both of the individual awards, but more importantly, the team prize of a World Cup.

So who will come out on top?

Neither team has been spectacular throughout the tournament, but instead have grown in form with each match.

That’s how you win a World Cup. Massive wins and impressive performances in the group stages and early in the knockout rounds don’t mean anything in the long run. Just ask England, Spain and Portugal.

Argentina’s first-up 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in Group C was undoubtedly a slight concern and the team’s credentials were rightly questioned.

What was needed was a swift response, and largely thanks to Messi, that came a few days later when the Argentines beat Mexico 2-0.

France also suffered a loss during the group stage, and while the 1-0 defeat against Tunisia came after qualification to the round of 16 had already been sealed, and in a match in which a host of French stars didn’t start ­— including Mbappe — it was a sign that Les Bleus were still building.

In many ways the French can already class this tournament a success.

Having won the World Cup four years ago, the French were tipped by some to fall by the wayside early in a similar way to previous defending champions had.

Their squad isn’t as strong as it was four years ago. The pre-tournament loss of star striker and reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema to injury seemed a massive blow.

Benzema’s unavailability added to a list of absent players that also included star midfield pair Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, who were both key factors in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph.

However, in Didier Deschamps, France has a master coach and tactician.

Deschamps knows what it takes to win big tournaments as a player and a coach, and has taught his squad to succeed in different styles depending on who the opponents are.

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A clever and no-nonsense defensive midfielder in his playing days, Deschamps would have encountered and dealt with a host of playmakers during his decorated career.

That’s why you can be sure he will send his French team on to the park with a plan to nullify Messi.

That, combined with the pressure Messi will be under to deliver Argentina its first World Cup in 32 years, plus the brilliance of Mbappe, leads me to believe that a formidable France will become just the third nation, after Italy and Brazil, to win back-to-back World Cups.

Originally published as Robbie Slater: Messi pressure and heir apparent Kylian Mbappe to spoil Argentine’s dream farewell