Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe’s Rivalry at the FIFA World Cup 2022

Lionel Messi is possibly one of the greatest soccer players to ever exist. On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe looks like the most likely candidate to rule the sport for decades just like the Argentine once did. The two of them are now setting the soccer stage on fire at Paris Saint-Germain. Many a time, the fans term this attacking duo as unstoppable. However, this duo did play against each other, a few months ago. That was the historic FIFA World Cup final in 2022. The fans in Argentina went absolutely berserk after their historic World Cup win.

As much as the fans rooted for the Argentine soccer legend, they also wanted the young Frenchman to win his second World Cup. Let’s have a look at everything surrounding Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe during the World Cup final.

The World Cup final match between Messi’s Argentina and Mbappe’s France

The fans will remember the final game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the longest time. For the first time in a long time, it was an equal matchup in terms of team strength and quality. It was the test of whether Lionel Messi can finally lift the most prestigious trophy or if Mbappe will snatch it away. Without a doubt, the stakes were extremely high for this game too.

It’s safe to say that Messi and Mbappe, both turned in performances of the highest quality. The final outcome of the match would be decided through penalties after the 3-3 draw. The Argentine soccer legend scored 2 out of his team’s three goals during the match. On the other hand, Mbappe scored a hat trick that helped his team yank their way back into the game.

Read More: Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe – Combined Goals and Assists at PSG

Unfortunately, France did not have the best penalty shootout. This meant that Lionel Messi’s Argentina finally won a World Cup trophy, for the first time since the Maradona era. Even after such a dramatic and heated World Cup final clash, the fans still have the highest respect for both soccer stars.

Messi vs Mbappe – Who had the better stats at World Cup 2022?

For their own career and team records, both soccer stars had a phenomenal World Cup campaign. Lionel Messi started all of his team’s games during the campaign. Out of seven starts, Messi managed to score 7 goals with an unbelievable xGi of 6.62. Additionally, he also managed to assist three goals for his team.

On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe played in all of France’s games. He managed to score eight goals in seven games. He also managed to assist two more goals for his national side. During the World Cup campaign, Mbappe had an xG of 5.26.

Even though the stats slightly fall in Mbappe’s favor amidst the World Cup final heroics, the fans will still edge toward the Argentine’s side. For the simple being that, Messi desperately needed to win a World Cup before he retired. While Kylian Mbappe has already won a World Cup, he still has his entire life ahead of him. Hence, strictly in terms of stats, Mbappe might’ve had a slightly better tournament.

PSG teammate Mbappe’s reaction to Lionel Messi winning the World Cup

Every French player was devastated after losing the World Cup final. Kylian Mbappe was also part of the ‘inconsolable’ French group of players. Despite snatching the Golden Boot from Lionel Messi and scoring an unbelievable hat-trick in the final, ending up on the losing side wasn’t the easiest to intake.

The young Frenchman did not directly lash out at the Argentine soccer legend at any point in time. He was always appreciative of the fact that his club teammate won the prestigious World Cup trophy.

Lionel Messi hails youngster Mbappe for his world cup final hat-trick

Messi praised and admired the Frenchman’s hat-trick in the World Cup final. In an exclusive interview with PSG TV, Messi said, “It really was a breathtaking final. It was crazy how the match went. Kylian scored three incredible goals, in a final! Not being able to be champion after that was crazy. But he’s already won it too, and he knows what it’s like to be a world champion. So yes, it was a great final for the football world”.

No rivalry between PSG’s Messi and Mbappe after a dramatic world cup final

A few days after the World Cup final, PSG’s head coach, Christophe Galtier confirmed that the emotions after the World Cup final haven’t impacted his dressing room. Galtier affirmatively said, “There is no reason to mix everything up in the relationship between Kylian and Leo [Messi]. Kylian has a very good attitude having lost the World Cup”, as per ESPN.

The PSG head coach confirmed that Mbappe showed his inner class by acting maturely after the World Cup final. He said, “He was very disappointed, but he knew how to go on and behave, and had a lot of class to congratulate Leo and that’s very good for the club and for the team”.

Respective awards won by Messi and Mbappe for their World Cup feat

Kylian Mbappe managed to win the Golden Boot after the World Cup final. The young Frenchman was the highest goal scorer of the tournament with eight goals. On the other hand, Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball.

He was also the first-ever player to win the accolade twice. The Argentine soccer legend had ten goal contributions during the World Cup campaign, which were seven goals and three assists.

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The soccer universe is still in awe after witnessing such a beautiful FIFA World Cup final. Do you think that this was the best World Cup final of all time? Let us know in the comments below.