Twenty-eight days have passed and 30 teams have fallen but now the World Cup final is upon us. Argentina take on France at Lusali Stadium in Qatar with the Jules Rimet trophy up for grabs. The headlines look set to be dominated by Lionel Messi, who can cap off a wonderful career with the one title that has avoided him and Kylian Mbappe, who can win his second World Cup at the age of just 23.
The two Paris Saint-Germain team-mates have been their country's respective talismans at the tournament, each scoring five goals. Messi was the star of the show in Argentina's semi-final clash with Croatia, opening the scoring from the penalty spot before setting up Julian Alvarez for the Copa America champions' third.
Mbappe struggled to make a significant impact in the previous two rounds after a superb display in the last-16 against Australia but opposition defenders focusing on Mbappe has allowed his team-mates to reap the rewards and guide France to a second consecutive World Cup final.
