Argentina and France stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe (Pictures: Getty/AP)

Argentinian journalist Sergio Levinsky, who covered ten World Cups, explains why the final is not all about Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe – and tells the story behind manager Lionel Scaloni’s remarkable rise from obscurity to coaching at the World Cup final.

How do you see the final from an Argentina point of view?

It’s 50-50. There are possibilities but France are the better team in world terms. They have two or three players in every position, even with players like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Lucas Hernandez injured. Argentina fans believe it is possible to win.

Argentina look like they are absolutely determined to help skipper Messi win his first World Cup. Can they do it?

Five World Cups and no wins – yet. This is the first time Messi feels good in the national team. He is the captain, the symbol. In other World Cups, he was alone. It was not the players individually but as a team it didn’t work.

But it’s about more than just PSG team-mates Messi and Mbappe isn’t it? This match is very important for the two stars and it is the dream for Paris Saint-Germain and their Qatari owners. Messi and Mbappe are rivals today but who play for the same club. It is also about players like Julian Alvarez, however, who has only been playing for four years.

Julian Alvarez celebrates a goal over Poland in the group stages (Picture: Juan Mabromata/Getty)

Alvarez joined Manchester City in the summer and is proving a revelation for his country in Qatar with four goals

He is. He got his big break as an 18-year-old for his former club River Plate in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final, which was moved to Madrid because of safety concerns, coming on as substitute for the injured Exequiel Palacios. He had originally moved to Real Madrid at 11 but went back to Argentina.

Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton looks very at home on the world stage

I am sure he will play for a bigger club. He is a very intelligent player who comes from a football family and they are out here in Qatar too. His two brothers also play and in fact, in La Pampa in southern Argentina, they have a football club of their own called Mac Allister!

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni (Picture: Shaun Botterill/Getty)

Was former player Scaloni a popular choice as coach when he was appointing 2019? He has already won the Copa America with the team

No, he has only started to become popular now. Before, people didn’t know him. He hadn’t ma aged a team before Argentina – it’s crazy. When Jorge Sampaoli and his assistant left, Scaloni was No.3 but he stayed in touch with Messi and stepped up to coach the side. Argentinian managers coaching abroad such as Marcelo Bielsa, Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone didn’t want to come and Scaloni was the man left standing.

France are the first country to make consecutive World Cup finals since Brazil in 1998 (Picture: Etsuo Hara/Getty)

Messi in action against Croatia in the semi-final (Picture: Lars Baron/Getty)

Are Messi and Scaloni a match made in heaven for the national team then?

Yes. It’s down to Scaloni and Messi together. Scaloni accepts Messi is the leader of the team. As a coach, he is low-profile, he makes the decisions. But a lot of peop,e identify with him. They have only given him short contracts but he has shown he can put together a team.

MORE : Mikael Silvestre explains how France can stop Lionel Messi ahead of World Cup final

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