World Cup final

2022 - 12 - 16

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Sportstar"

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: History of final, past winners, runners ... (Sportstar)

Argentina and France will compete for the 22nd World Cup title at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday. Here are the winners and runners up before Qatar 2022.

? - This is because the 1950 World Cup in Brazil was concluded with a min-league format between four teams with Uruguay winning the title.

Messi v Mbappe: showdown of Paris superstars in World Cup final (The National)

Argentina against France on Sunday will reward only one of the generation-defining talents with the ultimate prize.

And because they know there are many more years left to appreciate France’s young star than there are to savour the unique gifts of Messi. Like Mbappe, taking calls from Macron, Messi has listened to appeals from politicians about patriotic obligations, when he doubted the possibility of ever achieving big prizes with Argentina. He would dearly love to go back to his French home with the one major trophy he is yet to win. As if he very deliberately designed his calendar to peak in time for this, his fifth World Cup. But the momentum carrying Argentina to the final has been less smooth. [introduced to his new workplace](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2021/08/14/in-pictures-lionel-messi-unveiled-to-rapturous-psg-crowd/) in Paris 15 months ago, he heard a surprising sound.

Argentina vs France World Cup Final 2022: Lionel Messi misses ... (Business Today)

Argentina vs France World Cup: According to reports, Messi injured his hamstring during Argentina's match against Croatia on Wednesday, following which the ...

Lionel Messi missed training on Thursday due to an injury sustained during the victory in the [#ArgentinaVsCroatia]semi-final game. The 35-year-old was spotted holding at his left hamstring with discomfort during the match in the semi-final. And the whole world is waiting to see Argentina take on defending champions France on Sunday (December 18).

Messi carries the weight of Argentina into FIFA World Cup final ... (The Hindu)

If Lionel Messi retires without ever winning the FIFA World Cup, how much longer will Argentina have to wait?

But Argentina went out in the quarterfinals after being beaten 4-0 by Germany. At the age of 35, he knew this was probably his last shot at the World Cup and he has risen to the occasion as the tournament's co-leading scorer with France forward Kylian Mbappé with five goals. While Messi is aiming to complete his personal collection of trophies, having won four Champions League titles and seven Ballon d'Or awards for the best player in the world, Argentina is looking to end its long wait for a third World Cup. There was the potential "dream team" of Maradona as coach and Messi as star player in South Africa in 2010. Maradona did that in Mexico in 1986 and Messi has lived with the expectation of repeating the feat since he emerged as a prodigy at Barcelona nearly 20 years ago. While 37-year-old Ronaldo exited the tournament at the quarterfinals stage, benched by Portugal and in tears in the likely recognition that his last chance had passed, Messi is summoning some of his finest moments in an Argentina shirt to inspire his country's run to the final.

FIFA World Cup Final: Wait, what? Is Lionel Messi INJURED before ... (WION)

After a riveting group stage, followed by a thrilling Round of 16 and closely-fought quarters and semi-finals, the FIFA World Cup has moved onto the finale ...

Hence, there are no alarm bells ringing in the Argentina camp just yet with regard to Messi's fitness. Are there injury concerns with regard to the Argentina captain? With some big names rubbing shoulders against one another, the last game of the FIFA WC is set to be an enthralling affair as the battle for the coveted title heats up in Qatar.

Scorer & creator: Lionel Messi could complete historic individual ... (The Indian Express)

The Argentine skipper could become the first player in the competition's history to top the charts in both goals and assists.

Messi is the joint top-scorer with five goals alongside Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe. It is a feat that a few have come close to – most recently Thomas Muller at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where he was joint-top scorer and assister, winning the golden boot due to lesser games played, but missing out on top-assister as Kaka had played lesser games than him. Yet, as Messi’s inspirational performances have carried his side to the final, his individual stats have risen.