The 2022 FIFA World Cup, a tournament that has encompassed the moral gymnastics of the human condition, concludes Sunday in an epic display between two of the world’s greatest giants of soccer, France and Argentina.
France, the reigning champions, have fully embraced the teachings of their coach, Didier Deschamps, hushed any concerns of injury and illness, and are arguably playing the best soccer of their nation’s history. Argentina, exorcising the ghouls of their failed 2014 and 2018 campaigns, rose from the brink of collapse in the opening loss to Saudi Arabia, and are surging behind the brilliance of Lionel Messi after an outstanding display against Croatia in their semi-final match. The story of Argentinian soccer cannot be told without Messi.
The story of French soccer on the other hand, is still unfolding. Both nations are seeking their third World Cup title. Each faced one unexpected loss during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Argentina lost their opening match against Saudi Arabia, while France took a loss to Tunisia. Argentina has scored 12 goals in their 6 games, France scored 13. Behind the guaranteed fireworks on the pitch, there are a number of contests playing in the background – a Golden Boot race, a Golden Ball chase, Deschamps versus Scaloni, Kylian Mbappé versus Lionel Messi. But what’s at stake isn’t just the pride of not just two nations or two players, but of two generations of soccer.
Messi versus Goliath
Messi’s name has become as legendary as three-time World Cup winner, Pelé. Yet his critics speak almost as vehemently as his fans. The 35-year-old global icon has amassed a following close to half a billion (on social media alone), a financial empire whose net worth is close to $600 million USD, and awards ranging from the European Golden Shoe, Ballon d’Or, FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball, Argentine Footballer of the Year (14 times), Pichichi Trophy, La Liga Best Player, FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and more. But one glaring empty spot remains in his trophy case, that of a World Cup champion. Messi’s goal in the semi-final win against Croatia was his 11th World Cup goal and lifted him past Gabriel Batistuta’s 10 as Argentina’s record scorer. He needs one more to equal Pele’s tally of World Cup goals. Messi’s pace might be slowing, he walks more than he runs in matches, but as he showed in the semi-final against Croatia, the speed of his soccer mind, is unmatched.
France’s young phenomenon Mbappé, with nine goals in two tournaments, has already moved ahead of Pele for most World Cup goals scored before the age of 24. If France wins just two days before his 24th birthday, he could become the first player since Pelé in 1962 to win two World Cups by the age of 23. And, he is four behind Just Fontaine’s French record of 13.
Rather than simply rely upon their own hero, France have gathered a team of them: from their young superstar, Mbappé who is currently tied for most number of goals in this World cup alongside Messi, is joined by Olivier Giroud, who has toppled the previous record for most number of goals for France held by Thierry Henry, Antoine Griezmann, who catapulted himself into the heartbeat of the Les Bleus’ attack as box-to-box midfielder role, Theo Hernandez who replaced his brother Lucas as left-back, Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot and Real Madrid’s Aurelin Tchouameni rounding out the midfield.
They have built a true team capable of taking on injuries and illness, but in their semifinal match against Morocco, they did not have most of the possession and nearly conceded multiple goals. They don’t play the champagne football France was once aptly known for, a philosophy instituted by the “Godfather” of French managers, Albert Batteux, entrenched in the ideals of playing “in the most beautiful way.” As, Deschamps said in his post-game presser after their 2-0 defeat of Morocco, “winning is our identity.”
The Water Carrier versus Humble Scaloni
Deschamps, once criticized by his contemporary, Eric Cantona as being nothing more than a water carrier, had the perfect retort back in his time as a player at Juventus. “A water carrier? Yes, that’s exactly what I am. Great teams are not just created by the architect but also by bricklayers and hod carriers.”
That dedication to playing with humility and structure, led him to surpass Cantona as a player winning the Champions League and Ligue 1 titles, and in 2018 became just the third in World Cup history to win the trophy as a player and coach, following Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer. He replaced Laurent Blanc as France’s coach in 2012, helped rebuild the system brick by brick, and within the last ten years have taken his side to their third final in the last four major tournaments. He is one game away from becoming the first coach to lift the World Cup twice in the modern era.
His players, recognizing that quality of determination to win with the mental mindset as well as with physical prowess, go above and beyond for him. “Every game, every action is like me saying thank you to him. I want to do everything to make him proud of his number seven,” Griezmann told reporters after his win against Morocco. Injuries to 2018 key players like Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Lucas Hernandez have already tested the depth of their bench. Now, dealing with a virus spreading through their already debilitated squad, they have a new challenge to work past to reach their next World Cup trophy.
Just as Deschamps had his high-profile detractor, Maradona once described Scaloni as being incapable of directing traffic. Yet, the humble Scaloni, whose record is devoid of any international championship titles aside from a La Liga title won by Deportivo La Coruña, is now one win away from becoming one of the youngest coaches to win the World Cup. Since his promotion from Jorge Sampaoli’s assistant coach to the top position, he took Argentina to the 2021 Copa América title after defeating Brazil, ending a drought, and helping them to lift their first trophy in 28 years.
In November 2021, he was nominated for The Best FIFA Football Coach Award for his efforts. He continued that trajectory leading them to the 2022 Finalissima championship defeating Italy. His record of 36 consecutive unbeaten games was finally broken at the World Cup when Saudi Arabia surprised them with a 2-1 defeat in their opening match. But their team has risen from that loss, rallying behind Messi, and are now on the cusp of their second World Cup final appearance in 8 years, chasing and end to another title drought, their first World Cup title sine 1986.
Both Deschamps and Scaloni have brought their teams from the brink of collapse into relevancy and greatness. But, just like Mbappé and Messi, they hail from different generations of the global game, and have different mentalities. Whether it is the ‘win at all costs’ approach or one centered around ‘play for your nation’s talisman’, both are deserving of this moment. Yet, on December 18, between the world’s third-place La Albiceleste or the fourth-place Les Bleus, only one will etch their name in as a legend of modern soccer history.
