Qatar 2022: Kylian Mbappe, ready to take over the baton

The day after. It has always been the most difficult one for the football fans – but no World Cup has left us as hungover as this Monday after the titanic struggle between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Doha – which is now rightfully being called the greatest ever final.

If the most overpowering side show in the countdown to the finale was the battle between Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappe, it lived upto the billing on several fronts – and still some more. The Qataris would be overjoyed that it pitted two of the biggest names in the roster of the hosts’ bankrolled Paris St Germain, where the Messi had the last laugh as Mbappe left with the badge of a tragic hero, but a significant impact of the contest lay somewhere else.

It marked the handover of a baton – of that of the greatest footballer’s mantle of this generation – in no uncertain terms. Yes, the Argentine genius seemed to have a change of heart when he said he could still be seen for sometime in the Argentine colours, but the next edition of the showpiece in 2026 will not be on his radar. Cristiano Ronaldo, who provided football fans the fodder for the GOAT debate between him and Messi for the past decade and half, is also staring at a golden sunset – hence the time was ripe to look for that performer with the X-factor.

The game is fortunate to have it readymade in Mbappe, a mega star in his own right, who has left an indelible mark in two successive World Cup finals now. If the 23-year-old finished with a broad smile after the French annihilated Croatia at the Luzhniki in Moscow in 2018, he was crestfallen on Sunday night even as he collected the Golden Boot for being the highest scorer in the tournament with a hattrick in the final.

A photo which was gone viral, even on a night when Messi realised his ultimate dream, was that of French president Emmanuel Macron – hunched on the ground – consoling a sullen Mbappe after the game. The gesture underlines the growing importance of Mbappe – the son of a Cameroonian immigrant – in the public life of the multi-racial country. This is the first time Mbappe has tasted failure in his two World Cup finals – but sky is the only limit for this supremely gifted athlete.

After his sterling show in 2018, King Pele had famously said on his social media; ‘’Welcome to the club,’’ referring to the elite club of teenagers who have won the World Cup. The former had won it at 17 while Mbappe did it at 19 and the Frenchman has quickly levelled with the Brazilian’s tally of 12 goals in the ‘greatest show on earth.’ The boy from Bondy, a rough suburb of Paris, still has a likely three more World Cups ahead of him – making it an awesome prospect about where he is going to finish eventually – form and fitness permitting.

What actually are the main attributes of Mbappe as a footballer vis-à-vis Messi and Ronaldo? Unlike Messi, who had been the virtuoso playmaker-scorer, the Frenchman looks more a performer in the CR7 mould. A quintessential winger on the left, the muscular athlete is blessed with sudden bursts of speed, lovely close control with the stepover being his favourite mode of fooling his markers – he cuts in and then unleashes those powerful shots.

 

What actually are the main attributes of Mbappe as a footballer vis-à-vis Messi and Ronaldo? Unlike Messi, who had been the virtuoso playmaker-scorer, the Frenchman looks more a performer in the CR7 mould. A quintessential winger on the left, the muscular athlete is blessed with sudden bursts of speed, lovely close control with the stepover being his favourite mode of fooling his markers – he cuts in and then unleashes those powerful shots.

 He can be the epitome of danger for the rivals if Mbappe is allowed to embark on those sprints. His assist for the first goal against England in the semi-finals in Doha showed he is adept capable of doing more on a day he is effectively marked, something which would make him even more of an allround performer.

A key hallmark of Messi and Ronaldo’s greatness had been their longevity at the top of their game. This will be Mbappe’s biggest challenge from hereafter – as he is in the pole position to take over the No.1 player’s mantle, with the Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland a distant second.

Let’s wait and watch!