And so we have our World Cup finalists. This match not only could cement Lionel Messi’s legacy as the greatest ever, but will decide the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball as clubmates Kylian Mbappe and Messi go head-to-head.
With all those awards on the line, you can see why this World Cup final is being billed as Mbappe v Messi. But in real terms and given what we have seen so far, it is far more likely that Antoine Griezmann will be the one Argentina have to stop, and the one Messi needs to out-perform.
In his new midfield role, Griezmann has been absolutely outstanding. Against Morocco in the semi-final he was the key defensive pivot, constantly picking balls up on the edge of his own penalty area and winning free-kicks. His role for Les Bleus has become absolutely crucial, so much so that Sunday will mark his 74th consecutive appearance for his national team.
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With Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele ahead of him, Griezmann has shrugged off the goalscoring responsibility that haunted him in 2016. Instead he is now creator in chief, complementing a midfield duo of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrein Rabiot, when fit.
Those two provide the muscle behind him, but Griezmann has been the fly in the ointment for so many opposition teams. He can drop deep and pick up the ball, but you are more likely to find him between the lines in an attacking sense, while his relentless energy makes him a wonderful defensive asset. Over the last year when compared to forwards he ranks in the 99th percentile for tackles and 98th percentile for interceptions, while when compared to midfielder he is in the 99th percentile for non-penalty xG and total shots.
He’s been one of the finest players in the world for the past few years, and when you only consider international football, there haven’t been many that have been as good as him over the past decade. Perhaps only Messi and Luka Modric have shown such consistency for their country over the same period.
Remember, as France reached the Euro 2016 final, Griezmann was the top scorer with six goals, and named Player of the Tournament. His game has certainly been helped by Mbappe, who has taken the goalscoring spotlight off him, but it has also allowed him to reinvent himself, and Didier Deschamps deserves credit for overseeing this.
When the players walk out for the World Cup final, the biggest game on the planet, all the talk once again will be about the PSG duo. But if Messi is to win the biggest trophy of his illustrious career so far, his teammates will have to work out how to deal with Griezmann. For all of England’s excellent play in the quarter-final and incredible central midfielders, they were never able to nail down Griezmann and ultimately, he made them pay.
Mbappe was handled well by Kyle Walker but it was Griezmann who popped up on the left and whipped in a beautiful cross for Giroud to head home. Despite the attention of Jude Bellingham throughout, it was still the Atletico Madrid man who came to the fore. He scored four goals in their success four years ago, but is yet to score at this tournament and has only registered two shots on target - instead registering three assists in his new role.
The reason why France go into this World Cup final as favourites is because they have threats all over the pitch. Argentina relies so heavily on Messi that it’s obvious who France have to try and stop. Mbappe may get top billing for Les Bleus, but Giroud is on for goals, Dembele is a constant threat and Griezmann is pulling the strings.
This final isn’t Mbappe v Messi. Griezmann will have the final say on which team wins the biggest game in football.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
