Two of the best players in the world will face-off on the biggest stage of them all on Sunday when Lionel Messi's Argentina meet Kylian Mbappe's France in the World Cup final.
Both have been in sensational form throughout the tournament, with the pair joint-top of the scoring charts boasting five goals each, though Messi has the slight edge given he has three assists to Mbappe's two. Games do not get much bigger than this and it is somewhat fitting that the Paris Saint-Germain team-mates meet with much on the line.
Some may be hoping the master can provide the student with one more lesson, while others will be desperate to see a France win as 35-year-old Messi passing over the torch to the 23-year-old Mbappe, handing him the role of being the world's best from now on.
The duo are well-versed in each other's strengths given they have spent a season-and-a-half together in the French capital, but what do they actually think of each other? The Parc des Princes is often a hotbed of rumours suggesting regular dressing room fall-outs and inflated egos.
However, that doesn't entirely appear to be the case between Messi and Mbappe, though the Frenchman has had his issues with the Argentina icon.
From Messi's side, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has been nothing but complimentary towards the former Monaco sensation.
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At a time when the rumour mill went into overdrive regarding an alleged fall-out between Mbappe and Neymar, Messi was pressed for comment on the speculation but instead took the chance to simply heap praise on his colleague.
"Kylian is a different player, a beast who is very strong in one-on-one, who goes into space, who is very fast, who scores a lot of goals," Messi told TUDN Mexico (via Get French Football News ). "He is a complete player and he has proved it for years, and in the years to come, he will certainly be among the best."
This is in slight contrast to some of the sentiments provided by Mbappe, who is reported to have previously complained to the PSG hierarchy over how much 'power' Messi has within the club.
He then soured things further by implying he doesn't enjoy playing alongside Messi, claiming he has more fun with the national team.
"What they ask of me here [with France] is different," Mbappe said back in September. "Here, I have much more freedom than at PSG. The coach knows that there is a No9, like [Olivier] Giroud, and so I can move and go into space. In Paris it is different – they ask me to play pivot, although I enjoy [playing] everywhere."
Come Sunday evening, Mbappe will have quite the platform to prove he's better deployed in the system his national team uses.
Free from the constraints he seems to think he is bound by when next to Messi, Mbappe can show the world he thrives as a solo act as opposed to being confined to his PSG team-mate's shadow.
The Les Bleus superstar has previously discussed his desire to be the leader of the new generation of superstars, as Messi's career winds down Mbappe is growing impatient while waiting to take the throne.
Speaking in an interview with the New York Times, in September, Mbappe said: “I think I’m about to win it [the Ballon d’Or].
“I always say I dream about everything. I have no limits. So of course, like you say, it’s a new generation. And Ronaldo, Messi — you’re gonna stop. We have to find someone else, someone new."
Messi, though, will not be in mood to relinquish his crown just yet.
