A fight in the World Cup final, between Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappe, reminded me of the movie "Terminator 2".
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the old exterminator, played by Messi, against the new model of the exterminators, or if you like - Mbappe.
A short reminder, for those who have forgotten: in that blockbuster Schwarzenegger shoots his sophisticated opponent, runs him over, bombards him with missiles and the expressionless android rises from the grave every time and fights back.
Messi, by the time he got to lift the trophy, spat blood, shed tears and left liters of sweat on the lawn at the Lucille Stadium.
Mbappe may have lost this week in the final, but you can be sure that he will be in the area for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups as well, and don't forget 2034. He will be there, you can already open a diary and schedule a meeting.
At the age of 23, this is the most sophisticated football machine the modern world has to offer.
It's as if a scientist took a perfect body, with unimaginable physical abilities, ran it through the lab to check that the firing systems were working and that there were no oil leaks, and sent it to the field.
It's not just his second goal in the final, which was breathtaking - Mbappe kicked three accurate penalties during the game.
One penalty is hard, so three, in the World Cup final, is psychological.
He had time to see how at the end the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, came down and comforted the young man who refused to be comforted.
He is a champion who has come to defend his title, and is not willing to be satisfied with compliments from the world.
Messi may be the greatest footballer of all time, and it is not certain that Mbappe will deprive him of his status, but I have no doubt that the young man who grew up in Bundi, a depressing suburb located northeast of Paris, will one day smash most of the records - "the exterminator, the next generation".
2. My daughter, whose soccer is not at the top of her hobbies, said in the middle of the final "Everyone only talks about Messi, but what about the others?".
Nice, you're right.
In the Argentina national team there is no equal division and there is no opposition.
There are good ones and there are less good ones.
There are players who grew up in Buenos Aires and starred in the biggest teams in Europe, and when they got to the national uniform - the giant shot of number 10 left them completely.
In glory they will always settle for crumbs.
Angel Di Maria, for example, was huge in the final.
Scored a beautiful goal, and because of that the first penalty was whistled for the world champion.
And this after he had an impressive career at Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Di Maria is no longer a child, but a 34-year-old veteran footballer. Only what - he has always been and will remain in the shadows.
Or Paulo Dybala, who scored one of the decisive penalties, who was for years a star of the Italian Juventus and now plays in the midfield of Rome.
Dybala almost didn't play in the tournament, because he and Messi fall in the same category, and they say that the king doesn't really like the prince.
Let him wait patiently, he is only 29 years old.
Argentina, as it once belonged exclusively to the late Maradona, is now Messi's Taboo, or as the Chabadnik fans who came to the cup celebrations in Dizengoff Square said: "Our God is now in Qatar."
3. The most embarrassing moment in the tournament was recorded precisely when the trophy was lifted.
Just before, the captain of the Argentina national team Messi had to wear a robe, as a tribute to the host, Qatar.
At the important moment for the Argentine people, and for the billions of viewers in the world, who wanted to see the greatest player in the world waving the title while wearing the national team's shirt - just then to spoil the event?
After all, FIFA, the world football confederation, usually pays attention to every comma. For events like this, there is an instruction book, where each representative is supposed to stand and from what angle they will shoot the opening kick, so how do you allow such a neighborhood at the peak moment? Power and honor buy everything, and it's a shame .
4. Two days before the start of the World Cup, I wrote non-binding bets in this supplement.
I wrote that France will be the world champion, Mbappe will be chosen as the best player of the tournament and Cristiano Ronaldo will finish as a disappointment.
I was millimeters away from winning, just like my friend, Killian.
5. And one more little one to finish.
The final game proved that a large part of those who return from work at eight o'clock in the evening - can finish by five, if they really want to.
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