The fearsome pace and power of Kylian Mbappe nearly stole the World Cup from Argentina’s hands on Sunday. The 24-year-old scored a hat-trick in the final and came close to winning his second World Cup trophy. Mbappe was a member of the French side that lifted the 2018 World Cup. (More Football News)
On the other side is Lionel Messi. At 35 he was playing his final World Cup, and had not yet tasted success. Finally, his and Argentina’s long wait ended on Sunday.
Here’s a timeline of the World Cup journey of the two superstars.
Lionel Messi
World Cup 2006: Messi made his tournament debut, against Serbia and Montenegro. At 18 years and 357 days, he became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup. Argentina won 6-0, with Messi scoring the final goal. The team lost in the quarter-finals against Germany. Messi was left out of that game, leading to criticism of coach Jose Pekerman.
World Cup 2010: Managed by Diego Maradona, the team breezed through the Group stage, winning all its three games, against Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. Argentina even topped the group. However, they were thrashed by Germany in the quarterfinals. While Messi had a hand in many goals, he himself did not score at the tournament.
World Cup 2014: This was supposed to be Messi’s best chance of winning the World Cup. He was at the sweet spot age of 26, young as well as experienced. He was inspirational throughout the tournament, scoring four goals as Argentina entered their final since 1990. But Germany proved too tough to crack. Messi, nevertheless, won the Golden Ball Award as the tournament’s outstanding player.
World Cup 2018: One of the low points of Messi’s career and in terms of mood, his worst World Cup. The pressure on him was so great that he would be a nervous wreck even during the national anthem. After scraping through the Group stage, helped by a fine goal by Messi, Argentina came up against the might of France in the Round of 16. But a young Mbappe and Co tore them apart 4-3, the scoreline not fully indicative of how dominant France were.
World Cup 2022: The fears of 2018 rose again when Argentina went down to Saudi Arabia in their opener. In a must-win game against Mexico, Messi showed his mental fortitude and his skill, firing the ball with his left foot through multiple opposition legs for a crucial goal. The rest is history. Argentina turned their campaign around, felled opponents one after another and became World Champions beating their nemesis, France, in the final. Messi scored seven goals, won the Golden Ball, and now has a bunch of World Cup records to his name. He is the only player to win the Golden Ball twice, has played the most number of World Cup matches (26) and scored the most goals for Argentina (13).
Kylian Mbappe
World Cup 2018: Just 19, he became the youngest French goalscorer in a World Cup when he struck against Peru in the group stage. He would go on to dominate the tournament like no teenager before him, bar Pele. He was the man of the match in France’s win over Argentina in the Round of 16, when he scored two goals. In the final against Russia, he slammed a 25-yard shot into the net to become the second teenager after Pele to score in a World Cup final. As France lifted the trophy, Mbappe was named the tournament’s best young player.
World Cup 2022: Mbappe is nearly six feet tall and capable of reaching a speed of 35-plus kmph. He has a thunderous shot and is also confident. These attributes make him hard to stop for the best defenders. This showed at World Cup 2022 when Mbappe scored eight goals to enable France to reach the final. He took home the Golden Boot award. And he is just 24.
