Either Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe will be recognized by many as the "king of football" after the FIFA World Cup final at Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday night.
Messi is a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, a top two player in Argentine national team history and just won his first major international championship last year at Copa America. He needs a World Cup title to complete his career.
Mbappe has won the World Cup, but he is on the way to repeating Pele's legendary accomplishment of defending the championship. He still has a lot to earn at the club level, but having two World Cup trophies will set him on the best base in the race for being the world's best player.
Of course, football is a team sport. It may not come down to either to decide the game. France have Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud to go to when Mbappe is contained; Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez have proved to Argentina that they are able to share the load off Messi's shoulders.
Lionel Messi (L) of Argentina and Kylian Mbappe of France pose for a portrait during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The two teams will play each other in the final at Lusail Stadium, December 18, 2022. /CFP
Starting players of France pose for a group photo ahead of the FIFA World Cup semifinals against Morocco at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar, December 14, 2022. /CFP
Starting players of Argentina pose for a group photo ahead of the FIFA World Cup semifinals against Croatia at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, December 13, 2022. /CFP
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