The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex here hosted the inaugural FIFA Legends Cup (FLC)—a two-day (Thursday and Friday) eight-team six-a-side tournament, where a host of former global football stars descended for a kickabout.
mid-day caught up with a few to find out their assessment of Sunday’s mouthwatering final between Argentina and France and predictions.
‘Hard to pick the greatest’
Former Brazil World Cup-winning (2002) defender Roberto Carlos had no hesitation in equating Argentine skipper Lionel Messi with the likes of 1986 World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona and Brazil legend Pele. “Pele, Maradona and now Messi are all great. It’s hard to pick the greatest. But Sunday promises to be a great final between two extremely worthy teams. I expected more from Brazil [lost in the quarter-finals to Croatia via penalties]. I’m currently an ambassador of FIFA so it will be unfair if I make any prediction for the final. Messi and [France’s star striker Kylian] Mbappe are equals, so it’s tough to predict the final anyway. The final is a mind game, it’s psychologically a big game, a different game, so the pressure will be different. Being a South American, I wish for an Argentina win, but Mbappe could prove to be the difference,” said Carlos, 49, who represented the South American Panthers at the FLC.
Kylian Mbappe
Fellow defender and member of France’s 2006 World Cup runner-up team, Mikael Silvestre, 45, is bold enough to predict. “Messi will give his all in Sunday’s game. It’s the culmination of an infallible career. He will definitely make it hard for France, but I believe France will beat Argentina 2-1. It will be just like the France v England [quarter-final] match [where France won 2-1],” said Silvestre, part of the FLC East Tigers side.
Former German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, 53, is convinced Sunday will belong to Messi. “Argentina are the favourites for this final. Messi will lift the World Cup, but France are a good team so it won’t be easy,” said Lehmann, who was part of Germany’s 2002 World Cup runner-up side and a key member of English club Arsenal’s Invincibles, who won the 2003-04 English Premier League title without losing a single game. Former Senegal forward El Hadji Diouf, 41, who was named in the 2002 FIFA World Cup all-star team after leading the African nation into the quarter-finals, believes Messi doesn’t need to prove anything. “It’s been a great World Cup and it will be an even great final but I don’t believe that Messi needs to win it to prove himself. Messi has already achieved so much, he doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone,” said Diouf, who was at his skillful best for the FLC’s African Lions here.
Pablo Zabaleta, Tim Cahill, Jens Lehmann and Roberto Carlos
Former Argentine forward, Maxi Rodrigues, 41, who was part of Messi’s team that finished runner-up at the 2014 edition in Brazil, is hoping history will not repeat itself. “Messi is the best player at this World Cup. He’s on top of his game. We have played together for Argentina for many years and he’s one of my very good friends. I hope, for our friendship’s sake, that he can win this World Cup,” said Rodriguez, part of the South American Panthers.
Fellow Argentine Pablo Zabaleta, who was also part of that 2014 side that lost the World Cup final to Germany, feels Argentina need to win this World Cup badly. “We came so close in 2014 when we lost the final. Argentina need to win this one and Messi seems desperate for it. The whole team is doing well and credit for this must go to coach [Lionel] Scaloni, who has brought in some good young midfielders like [Alexis] Mac Allister [23] and Enzo Fernandes [21] who used to be on the fringe but are now in the playing XI,” said Zabaleta, 37.
Also Read: Lionel Messi carries the weight of Argentina into World Cup final
‘Such a selfless player’
Tim Cahill, 43, one of the best Australians to have played the game, is impressed with Messi’s humility. “Messi is such a selfless player. He doesn’t like to take all the accolades and is among the first to give his teammates credit for everything. This Argentina side is a very rigid and compact outfit as we saw when they beat Australia here [2-1 in the Round of 16]. They are playing with passion and a united bunch. Mbappe, meanwhile, has many years to progress. I’m confident this Argentine team can do something special with Messi on Sunday,” said Cahill, who seemed as sharp and fast as ever while turning up for FLC’s East Tigers side.
USA’s 1994 World Cup defender Alexi Lalas, who no longer sports his famous ginger beard and long hair, believes there’s no way that France can stop Messi on Sunday. “Being a defender, I can tell you that it’s impossible to stop Messi because he can excel at any moment in the game. This is Messi’s World Cup. In fact, this World Cup needs Messi. And that’s the reason, on Sunday, not just Argentines but many non-Argentine people are also supporting and praying for him to win,” said Lalas, 52, who won USA’s Soccer Player of the Year in 1995.
Cameroon’s Thomas N’Kono, one of Africa’s greatest goalkeepers, insists Messi will not have it easy though. “I believe the best team on the day will win. Messi just reaching the final is not going to be enough. He will have to play extremely well in that final to earn that World Cup,” said N’Kono, 66, who pulled a muscle while playing for the LFC’s African Lions and had to be carried off piggy-back by teammate Demba Ba to a round of applause from the spectators.
Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2022: Lionel Messi ‘assists’ Argentina into final
