The Fußball Chatter

In July 2018, in a packed Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, France became champions of the world for a second time, defeating Croatia 4-2. It was a deserved victory for  Les Bleu,  navigating their way through the tournament, beating Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium on their route to the final. Blessed with the likes of Paul Pogba, N'golo Kante, Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann, France has produced another generation of players that has matched the class of 1998. Not to mention the emergence of Kylian Mbappe, who instantly became a worldwide phenomenon, scoring four goals plus the final, becoming the first teenager since Pele to score in a World Cup Final.  France has been a regular in the World Cup. However, in the last twenty-five years, they have become a force in the international scene. On Sunday, France will make their fourth appearance in the World Cup Final in just seven appearances. Their first time was in 1998 on home soil, where they defeated Brazil 3-0, with Zinedine Zidane

When Argentina lost the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final to Germany, it felt like a missed opportunity to claim the coveted trophy in the home of their bitter rivals Brazil. They entered the final without conceding a goal, with two knockout games going into extra time. Not to mention their attacking options in Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi.  Messi's impact during the knockouts and the final was underwhelming, failing to score in the entire knockout phase. Though he won the Golden Ball (Best Player), it felt undeserved. Many greats of the game are lucky to reach one World Cup Final, and given what happened in the coming years for Messi and Argentina, 2014 was their best chance that got away from them. Now, come Sunday, Argentina has that rare second chance to win the World Cup. Argentina has made it to the sixth World Cup Final, making their second World Cup Final in three editions. They were winners for the first time in 1978 on home soi