The stage is set for Sunday afternoon's World Cup final with scriptwriters everywhere salivating over the prospect of what is in store as Lionel Messi's Argentina face-off with a Kylian Mbappe -led France.
Arguably the two best players on the planet right now, indisputably the two best players of the tournament so far - the Paris Saint-Germain team-mates will leave everything on the pitch to ensure it is them lifting football's most-coveted trophy come the end of the game.
For Mbappe, it would mark a second World Cup on his CV by the age of 23 - an utterly absurd prospect until you remember just how supremely gifted the young Frenchman is.
As for Messi, winning the World Cup would be the most fitting way to sign off an international career that has already sealed his place in the hearts and minds of Argentines everywhere.
When it comes to who is better, any answer requires enough context to acknowledge that while Mbappe may be flying high right now, he still has some way to go before he has matched the kind of achievements Messi will boast when he hangs up his boots for good.
With that being said, fellow France international Aurelien Tchouameni has nailed his colours to the mast and proudly declared that it is his Les Bleus team-mate who should be heralded as the best player in the world nowadays.
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"For me it’s Kylian," Tchouameni admitted following France’s 2-0 win over Morocco in the semi final on Wednesday evening. "For me it’s Mbappe and I want him to prove that in the next game."
It would appear that not everyone agrees with the young Real Madrid star's stance.
Fellow France star Antoine Griezmann relayed a slightly different sentiment to reporters as he confessed Messi is a unique talent to try and thwart.
"Any team with Messi in is a totally different proposition," said Griezmann. "We have seen practically all of their matches at this World Cup. We have seen Argentina play, we know how they play.
"They are a difficult team to play and they seem to be on top form. Of course, not only Messi, they have a strong side around him so we know it is going to be a tough game and they will have a lot of support in the crowd."
Among pundits, former Chelsea wideman Damien Duff made his feelings on the debate crystal clear while speaking to RTE.
"How good Messi is, the best version of Messi when he was 23, 24, 25 maybe, Mbappe doesn’t lace his boots," the Irishman claimed.
"The best version of Messi, Mbappe still doesn’t touch Messi. That’s how good Messi was. That’s what I’m saying. The best version, when was that? When he was 23, 24. Messi is the best ever."
Whichever way the final swings on Sunday, it will be legacy defining for either star on either side.
