Coach Guus Hiddink, who led the Korean national soccer team and recorded the legend of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup semifinals, predicted Argentina’s victory, saying, “This World Cup belongs to Messi” regarding the 2022 Qatar World Cup final.
Argentina and France will play the long-awaited final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar at midnight on the 19th at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
In an interview with Vietnamese media ‘Jing News’ on the 18th (local time), coach Hiddink said, “It seems difficult for France to stop Messi.”
In the 1998 World Cup in France, Hiddink, who served as the coach of the Dutch national soccer team, defeated Argentina 2-1 in the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, they lost to Brazil on penalties and did not advance to the final.
After recalling the victory at the time, coach Hiddink said, “It will be difficult for France to stop Messi.”
He said, “Currently, Argentina is centering on Messi, the most unique player, and the rest of the players are supporting him well. Everyone is doing well,” he repeatedly emphasized, “Messi’s influence is really strong.”
Hiddink said, “Messi has been playing football at the highest level for almost 20 years. He scored many goals and assists. Stopping him is very difficult. Many managers think Messi should be marked one-on-one, but he moves freely no matter where he is located. (The one-on-one mark plan) is useless in front of Messi.”
It was not easy to answer the question of who is the better player between Messi and Mbappe. Coach Hiddink said, “I don’t want to compare which of the two players is better,” adding, “The play styles are different. Messi moves slowly and then suddenly speeds up. Mbappe can dribble at high speed. I don’t want to compare, I want to see and enjoy the two people’s play.”
Meanwhile, Argentina will challenge for the first time in 36 years since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Following the 2018 World Cup in Russia, France will challenge for the second consecutive title. So far, only Italy and Brazil have succeeded in winning the World Cup twice in a row.
In particular, this final draws special attention from fans as it is the ‘M-Me Match’, in which Messi-led Argentina and Kylian Mbafe (24) France collide. The two players each scored 5 goals in this tournament. tied for the lead in scoring.
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