The World Cup in Qatar provided us with unforgettable moments.
Big surprises, great goals, a drop from the international stage of super players who provided us with moments of magic in the first two decades of the new millennium.
And after all that, the two most deserving teams reached the final line.
Two, that many bet before the tournament that they would meet in the final.
Two national teams that represent both contrasts and many similarities.
In the semi-finals, both France and Argentina gave up the ball (both with a 39% ball possession figure), but while for the French it is something quite regular in the Didier Deschamps era (in the current World Cup they gave up the ball in both the quarter and the half, previously in six out of seven games), in Scalloni has flexibility and he adapts himself to the opponent, both in formations and in style.
Messi.
A football legend, photo: EPA
Scalloni surprised with the lineup when he came up with Di Maria, who played nine minutes in the knockout stages (in overtime against the Netherlands), instead of Paredes - a tactical move that moved Argentina to a very attacking 4:3:3.
Deschamps, on the other hand, made two changes to the lineup and returned to the lineup with which he ran from the second round at home, when Rabio and Opamacano returned from illness at the expense of Popana and Konata.
Usually when I summarize games I write about tactics, substitutions, changes during the game and other vegetables.
But this game, was a bigger than life game.
79 mins Argentina cruised to an easy victory for their own pleasure with France not once threatening on frame, but then we got the end of the game plus extra time that no sport can provide except football.
An emotional rollercoaster, unforgettable goals, great saves by the two goalkeepers, tears of happiness that change to tears of despair, coaches in a frenzy, players who break onto the field with every goal to celebrate with the players on the grass and above all a battle of the titans between two players who wear a shirt with the number 10 on the back , which the late beloved Brazilian Salah called "cloak" - Kylian Mbappe and Leo Messi.
Argentina.
The new world champion, photo: AFP
It really looked like a fist fight, a "rumble in the desert" if you will, where each player rises, the other returns and none of them wants to fall to the count of 10. But in the World Cup finals there is no equality and someone has to win and this time it was the man who deserved it more, For me the greatest player to ever step on a football field and the one who owed the trophy more than the other.
The man who won every individual and team title possible, but the huge shadow of Maradona accompanied him from the moment he received the number 10 in the national team and the captain's armband.
That man is Leo Messi, and he got his happy ending he deserved and along the way football lovers got the ultimate finale.
So thank you World Cup, thank you Mbappe, thank you Messi, thank you Scalloni and Deschamps and above all thank you football, for giving me a dream month and a final match that was moving to tears.
Just thank you.
History repeats itself.
Maradona and Messi in the position signal, photo: AFP
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