Attention to Mbafe and Messi confrontation, ‘PSG colleagues’ on the way to the tournament scorer and Golden Ball, etc.
The France-Argentina World Cup round of 16 held in Kazan Arena, Russia in June 2018 is remembered as the best match of the tournament. The match, which scored 7 goals, was also the stage where the name of ‘divine’ Kylian Mbappe (24, France) was announced to the world. The score was tight, but France led the game. France effectively used the space behind Argentina’s rather slow defensive line, with Mbappe at the center.
Mbappe, who already scored his World Cup debut goal at the age of 10 in the match against Peru in the group stage, was unstoppable. Dubbed “M Bullet,” Mbappe was so fast that even if three or four slow-footed Argentine defenders rushed at him, he could not stop it without a foul. In the 10th minute of the first half, he got a penalty kick by running about 60-70m, giving the team the lead, and then scored a turnaround goal and a key goal in the second half when the score was 2-2. With these two goals, Mbappe became the first teenager to score multiple goals in one game in 60 years since the “soccer emperor” Pele (Brazil) in 1958. The match ended in a 4-3 victory for France, and France went on to win the tournament.
Four years later, a big match that thrilled soccer fans around the world took place again in the final of the World Cup in Qatar. The ‘Kings of the End of the Story’ met as France won 2-0 against Morocco in the semi-finals held at Al Bite Stadium in Qatar on the 15th. On the 19th, at the Lusail Stadium, the winner of the World Cup trophy will be crowned with a return match between France, which is seeking its third World Cup title in history and Argentina, who is dreaming of winning the World Cup for the first time in 36 years. No matter who laughs, this is the stage where a new legend is born. 메이저놀이터
The match between the new and old goalscorer between the legend Lionel Messi (35, Argentina) and the new ace of ‘Art Soccer’, Mbafe, who has maintained the position of the world’s soccer’s top star for the past 10 years, is interesting. The two, who play together at Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain, are joint leaders in the tournament with five goals each. The top scorer is determined by whether or not the team scores in the final. The winner of the Golden Ball, the MVP of the tournament, is likely to be decided between the two depending on the win or loss.
Messi, who has built an unrivaled career with 7 Ballon d’Or, 4 Champions League championships and 11 league championships (10 La Liga), won the Copa America last year, which determines the best team in South America, and escaped from the national team’s major tournaments. Messi was the top scorer at the time. And in this tournament, which was nailed by the last World Cup, it shows an activity that is comparable to that of the heyday. Argentina is aiming for its first championship since the 1986 World Cup, which was won by Diego Maradona’s one-man show, and Messi is even evaluated as ‘Maradona’s second coming’.
His fighting spirit that captivated the world is praised as the ‘Greatest of All Time (GOAT)’. Former England striker Alan Shearer said: “Messi isn’t playing as much as he used to be, he’s not as fast as he was a few years ago, but he still works his magic. He makes the other best players look ‘normal’.”
Mbappe is one of the most expensive players in the world. France, which is underestimated among the European big leagues, is underestimated while playing for PSG, which has unrivaled power here, but there is no eye to doubt his talent, which has been the top scorer for four consecutive seasons.
As a career, Mbappe cannot be compared to Messi. However, when it comes to the World Cup, he is on a path that no one has walked at his age. Mbappe is aiming for his second World Cup title at just 24 years old. In the World Cup four years ago, he contributed to France’s victory by scoring four goals. He has already scored 9 goals in the World Cup, but he is only 2 goals behind Messi (11 goals, tied for 6th overall).