As we approach the 2022 World Cup final, plenty of people will be looking for signs that France or Argentina will emerge victorious at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
After wins to nil in the semi-finals, both of the remaining teams will fancy their chances. Argentina's 3-0 victory over Croatia means they have already beaten one of the 2018 finalists while gaining revenge for their group stage loss in the same competition, while France's triumph on Wednesday night broke Morocco's resistance after an eye-catching run to the last four.
Logic can go out of the window ahead of big games, though, with England undone by a psychic lion in the quarter-finals. France will hope the Drake curse helps them prevail over Argentina, amid worries about illness sweeping through the squad ahead of the final, but Gary Lineker has found an even more tenuous omen in the other direction.
Lineker was part of the England team undone by Diego Maradona back in 1986, as the Argentina legend led his country to their most recent World Cup triumph. The former Napoli star, who died in 2020, must have felt like a blur as he darted through the Three Lions defence - at least, that's the excuse we're giving Lineker for the likeness he has 'found' ahead of the final at Lusail Stadium.
"Who’s that running up above shrouded in Argentinian colours? Is Diego looking down?" Lineker asked on Twitter.
So, about that accompanying photo. Is it a likeness of El Diego himself in the clouds? It's certainly a shape in the clouds, but we have some issues.
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'Shrouded in Argentina colours'. Well, we suppose that's technically correct, but we'd be more surprised if the sky *wasn't* sky blue with flecks of white. A red and green sky ahead of a Morocco game? Now that might make headlines.
And then the shape. If we're being generous, perhaps it's an allusion to that famous photo of Maradona going up against several Belgian defenders during a World Cup meeting. Alternatively, though, you might say the shape looks more like a map of France.
Going back to that Belgium photo, we now know it's a little misleading. The sight of so many defenders near the Argentina star is because they have broken from a wall, not because they need that many men to stop him (though, in fairness, they might have done).
All we're saying is the simple idea of misinterpreting Diego Maradona-related photos is part of footballing heritage. Lineker is doing little more than keeping up a decades-long tradition, and we can only commend him for knowing his history.
