Argentina - France: Messi's last dance

* Argentina - France: 10pm today, on MetaSports.

In a country with 80% Christian population like Argentina, Christmas is a special holiday. Every December, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" tops the charts on music platforms.

However, Argentina's journey at the 2022 World Cup has changed that practice. La Mosca's "Muchachos, Ahora Nos Volvimos a Ilusionar" (Boys, now, we're excited again) - Argentina's official anthem at the 2022 World Cup - beat the all-time hit great American female singer. For Argentines, the best gift in Christmas 2022 is nothing but the world gold cup.

Not only popular in Argentina, according to Google Trends data, this song has reached the top of the most searched in South American countries such as Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia or Ecuador. On the background of the typical tango of Latin America, the lyrics carry the pain and the desire to see Argentina on top of the world again. "The finals we lost. How many years have we cried" or "In the sky, Diego (Maradona) and La Tota (Maradona's mother) are watching Lionel".

Messi and the World Cup are a timely painkiller for Argentines in the context of the country's economy in a serious crisis. Inflation is at a 30-year record and unemployment is at a record high. When Messi and his teammates took to the field, people poured into the streets, but not to protest but to celebrate the victory. According to experts, the fact that Argentina brings home the gold cup, if it comes to fruition, will not only be a mental boost but also can pull the country's economy up.

After Argentina beat Croatia, Messi announced that the 2022 World Cup final would be his last time playing in this tournament. The 34-year-old striker once made fans sad with the image of turning his back on the world cup after losing to Germany in the final in Brazil 2014. Now, for the second time in the final, Messi has opportunity to put a rounding mark on his career.

However, for this beautiful scenario to happen, Argentina would have to cross a real mountain. In the context of the strong European football background, defending champion France showed that they were still a force, despite losing many pillars due to injuries such as Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N'golo Kante or Lucas Hernandez. The solid system built by Didier Deschamps over the past 10 years, along with the stars in the squad, makes France more appreciated in the next final.

If "Les Bleus" wins, they will become the first team to successfully defend the World Cup title since Brazil in 1962. That also means that since Brazil won the throne in Japan - Korea 2022, round 20 years of South American football could not reach the peak of fame. Earlier this year, France's number one star Kylian Mbappe publicly stated that South American football "has no door" compared to Europe at the moment.

This statement seems to touch the pride of the Argentine players. Before the final, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez insisted Mbappe did not understand anything about South American football because he had never played there. Messi also thinks that South American football is being underestimated compared to its strength.

Argentina will welcome the return of two full-backs Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel after missing the semi-finals due to suspension. Therefore, the only absence on the South American side is midfielder Alejandro Gomez. The French team grapples with the spread of the flu. Dayot Upamecano, Adrien Rabiot, Kingsley Coman, Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate were among the victims. These five players have returned to practice before the final but are not sure to be in the best shape.