2022 FIFA WC final rewind: Meant for greatness, Mbappe touches it in front of Messi on a frenzied night in Doha | Football News

It was the World Cup final, with 1.5 billion watching around the world but no one could claim they saw it coming. Argentina had been 2-0 for 44 minutes. France hadn’t even found a shot on target until then. They had been made to look ordinary all through the first half in the face of a relentless Argentine onslaught. Their talismanic goal scorer, Kylian Mbappe had only 11 touches of the ball in the first half. The odds couldn’t have been more stacked up. Suddenly, something sensational unfolded.
A momentary lapse of concentration from Argentina and France had a penalty. A skip, hop, and a pause later, Mbappe struck it ruthlessly past Emiliano Martinez, who could only get his fingertips on the ball that whizzed past and rolled into the net. The prodigious scorer smelled blood. Perhaps only he did.

YouTube that France move from the 81st minute again. Adrian Rabiot’s long ball from the midfield was wayward. But even off that scrappy move, Mbappe sniffed an opening. Tracking back, he headed it to Marcus Thuram before immediately sprinting to the vacated region just outside the box. Someone with his pace maybe could’ve had another touch to close his dance with the goal. But that’s us mortals talking. For Mbappe, one sighting of the goal and a first-time shot would suffice. In what little time he had to conjure the goal, maybe he had sorted out that a low volleyed strike from dance was his best shot at surprising Martinez. 2-2 it was with no precursor whatsoever. But let’s not forget, carving something out of nothing had been the very foundation of Project Mbappe.
Born to a Cameronian father and Algerian mother in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, Mbappe’s tale which originated from the ghettos of Bondy in the suburbs of the French capital has been the story of 21st century football. A boy moulded for greatness and packaged to European football clubs as the future. The exchange of his mother with Chelsea execs when Mbappe was 12 runs shivers down the spine. On the suggestion of the club’s head of youth development, who wanted to see Kylian passing the ball more often before signing him, came the cold reply from Fayza Lamari. “No, we won’t come again. If you want to sign him, you sign him now. In five years’ time, you will come back for him for £50 million.”
It was Argentina’s first World Cup win since Diego Maradona hoed the trophy 36 years ago. (FILE)
It was clear from his early days to those around him, Mbappe was meant to become the best player in the world. Introduced to the world AS Monaco, announced as a modern superstar PSG – who bought the 18-year-old for a whooping $160 million, but established as the game’s great in the French shirt.
In 2018, he’d forced his way to the comparisons with Pele – becoming the youngest since the Brazilian to score in the World Cup final. All of 19 he was when he lifted that World Cup trophy. And yet, in a team full of heavyweights he commanded the manager’s respect so much so that at halftime in the final, Didier Deschamps didn’t hesitate before telling his players, “Play as simple as you can, play it to Kylian.”
Four years later, he was turning more skeptics into believers in Project Mbappe. A hattrick in the World Cup final and there he stood, rubbing shoulders with Geoff Hurst as one of the only two men to do so. But even the English had got some support from the other cast members in terms of scoring that day at Wembley. This was as single-handed a display as any in a team sport.

On a night France ran out of ideas and heroes, one stood tall right till the end. He’d put them back in the game not once but twice. Another penalty, deep into the extra time, the nerves would’ve jangled had it been anyone else. But Mbappe skipped, hoped and paused again before sending Martinez the wrong way and burying another shot into the net. And then he beat him again in the shootout. France lost on the night, Mbappe didn’t.
With 12 goals in just two World Cups, Mbappe is just five away from becoming the tournament’s all-time record goal scorer. At 24, he has all the time in the world to do so. Meant to become the greatest of all time, he was outshadowed the current holder of the crown. But even Messi couldn’t unsee the future. Not long after he’d won the Ballon D’or this year, the Argentine prophesied – like Johan Cruyff had for him – “(Mbappe) will win this in the future, I’m sure about it.” Who would argue?