The king and heir apparent: A quest for immortality
“One more Messi moment!” That was the incomparable Peter Drury serenading the microphone just after the “magic man”, as he called him, had given Argentina the lead against a feisty Mexico. The goal had come out of nowhere, and it wasn’t the sweetest strike, but he’d got the placement just right to beat the diving keeper. It kept Argentina, and Messi, alive in the competition.
Drury’s words, as they often do, channelled what many felt in one more Messi moment — awe, astonishment, relief, and euphoria.
It was a great weekend for football because, just a few hours earlier, a similar mix of emotions was evoked by a certain Kylian Mbappe.
Over the last four years, the French phenom has been impossible to ignore for club (PSG) and country. His legend began at the 2018 World Cup — against Argentina, no less — with a run of such verve and youthful exuberance that it forced everyone to sit up and take notice. Then only 19, it made the world wonder how good Mbappe would be in four years’ time.
You just had to watch him for one moment on the 2-1 victory on Saturday to know why it’s now difficult for watchers, and inadvisable for opponents to take their eyes off him. And, if you do, why you might end up like Denmark’s right-back Rasmus Kristensen — floored with a feint by the French forward who marauded past.
Still only 23, in his second World Cup, Mbappe has already scored seven goals at this stage — more than his great compatriot Thierry Henry (6) who played in four World Cups. He is also the second player after Pele to score seven World Cup goals before turning 24.
Going from World Cup to World Cup, four years later, Mbappe’s maturity is obvious.
Here’s a midfielder who can do so much more than run at pace — he crosses in from the flanks, keeps the defenders engaged when off the ball, is always aware of where his team mates are, and often passes to them unselfishly instead of going for the kill.
If Mbappe is a rising star who is now claiming his place in football’s pecking order at this World Cup, for Messi, the king on the hill, playing this tournament is never easy. He had one goal in 2006, four in 2014, one in 2018 and two already in 2022, but will always have a monkey on his back until he can claim the trophy that justifies his status.
Now 35, a marked man who glides around the field but doesn’t have the pace of his youth, did on Saturday what he often does now — look innocuous (even when all eyes were on him) and then suddenly spark to life and score.
For the most part of the match, Mexico appeared to nullify his threat by containing his runs.
But, unlike Mbappe’s moment of genius against Kristensen, Messi’s feint was of a different kind. He baited his opponents, bided his time, and finally struck.
What makes great footballers stand out from the pack is how they pick their moments. On that front, the two shining stars of this World Cup, the regent and the heir apparent, seem to be on the same page.
And that begs the question: Will the excitement of Qatar 2022 eventually boil down to Mbappe trying to stamp his authority by winning a second crown, and Messi deciding to end all debate by adding that missing golden edge to his legacy?