Argentina or France: Who will win the World Cup?

SINGAPORE: The stage is set for an epic World Cup final in Qatar, with France attempting to retain their crown against Argentina on Sunday (Dec 18).

Both teams had won their semi-final games convincingly - France beat Morocco 2-0, while Argentina defeated Croatia 3-0.

Argentina, led by maestro Lionel Messi, had shocked fans in their opening game by losing to Saudi Arabia 2-1, but seemed to find their groove as the tournament wore on. 

France, on the other hand, roared past the group stage and knock-out rounds, and are bidding to become the first team in 60 years to win back-to-back World Cups.

Most past and present Singapore football players and coaches whom CNA spoke to, however, are backing Argentina to beat France. And it largely boils down to the Messi factor.

Footballer-turned-pundit Rhysh Roshan Rai, who previously played in the S.League (now the Singapore Premier League), said: "I would like to see Argentina come out on top because I want Messi to win the World Cup. That would be a lovely way to end the international career of one of the greatest players this planet has seen."

On Wednesday, Messi, 35, confirmed that the final on Sunday will be his last World Cup appearance. He is the joint top-scorer at this tournament, along with France's Kylian Mbappe, with five goals. 

"Messi is pure footballing brilliance," said Roshan, noting the player will be key to Argentina's chances.

"On a tactical level though, he can be difficult to pick up for the opposition defence because he tends to have a 'free role'. He’s allowed to drift into different attacking areas and France will have to be switched on to that," he said.

"We’ve also seen Messi at times rolling back the years with his trademark dribbling. Just as he did with his