Messi's wisdom vs. Mbappé's power of youth the focus of dream matchup in men's World Cup final

Chris Jones is in Qatar covering the men's World Cup for CBC Sports.

The men's World Cup final will be a contest between more than France and Argentina. It will be a battle between Europe and South America, between two-time titlists seeking a third, between Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, between the speed and power of youth and the craft and guile of middle age.

Sunday's game is a dream matchup, if a little too convenient for Qatar's emir, who happens to own Paris Saint-Germain, where both Messi and Mbappé play their club soccer. Golden, glittering Lusail Stadium will now host the biggest match in history. Tickets are going for more than $12,000 US, and the worldwide TV audience is expected to exceed 1.5 billion.

The perceived evenness of the game makes it only more enticing. Predictions are pointless. On Saturday, the odds of victory for either team were identical; the live win probability gave Argentina the slightest edge, 35 per cent to 34, with a 31 per cent chance that extra time will be needed to decide the winner.

Given all the forecasts of greatness, there is a single proviso: World Cup finals don't often live up to their billing. Anxiety sets in, tightness reigns, and chances fall away.

That's what happened the last time Argentina and Messi made the final in 2014. Facing nerveless Germany and under the burden of colossal expectation, he was mirthless and heavy-footed, and his team lost in extra time, 1-0.

At 35, Messi appears to have learned his lesson in what he has said will be his last World Cup. He has embodied contentment, making transcendent plays — a pass against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, a run against Croatia in the semis — that will live forever in the sport's collective memory. Watching