Argentina vs France is also the duel between the two PSG superstars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. In the home match of the World Cup, there is a heated discussion about who feels the most pressure before the grand final.
Who will be crowned world champion?
Lionel Messi is 35 years old, will play his last World Cup in Qatar and is still waiting for his first title. However, 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé managed the feat with France four years ago in Russia as a teenager. Before the direct duel in Sunday’s big final in Qatar, it seems clear who is putting the most pressure on themselves. “I agree. The pressure is only on Messi from the age,” says Markus Neumayr during the home match of the World Cup and adds: “Mbappé probably has the opportunity to succeed more often.”
Fredy Bickel, on the other hand, objects: “I’m not so sure that the greatest pressure is on Messi.” On the one hand, Mbappé also wants to show on this stage who is the best and who owns the future. “He really wants it, so he’ll put even more pressure on himself,” believes the seasoned Azzurri sportsman.
The difficult start of Argentina
Messi and Argentina would have felt the most pressure after their sensational opening defeat to Saudi Arabia and the last match of their second World Cup participation against Mexico, when a defeat would have already meant elimination. “The biggest pressure for Messi was to get to the final. The fear of going home early. He succeeded. It takes away a lot,” says Bickel.
Patrick Framework agrees: “I see it that way too. If they had gone home after the second game, he would have been paired with Messi. Obviously now he’s desperate for the title, but it’s not like going home and being the nation’s total underdog.” . But he doesn’t get that far, which Frame welcomes: “He would have hurt me, he wouldn’t have done justice to Messi’s career.”
The first goal of the tournament as a liberating blow
The Under-21 national team coach is closely following the performance against Mexico at the stadium. “I watched Messi. I had the feeling that after about an hour on the pitch he realized that things were going badly. Then comes the moment when he makes a difference. Then you noticed: that was no ordinary goal celebration. That was liberation. And then you saw how much pressure there was on him.”
But the six-time world footballer didn’t let himself be discouraged and, with his groundbreaking action, knocked the coach of the Under-21 national team, who does not define himself as an Argentina fan, out of his seat after 64 minutes. “That’s the difference between a top player and an absolute superstar who can handle the highest pressure,” enthuses Frame. It is entirely conceivable that in the exceptional case of Messi and Mbappé it is not a disadvantage who feels the greatest pressure before the final.
