"People can say France are favourites, but we have the greatest player of all time. We always like to hear our opponents are favourite because we don't feel superior or inferior to anyone," Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez defiant ahead of World Cup final
Sunday 18 December 2022 14:56, UK
Emiliano Martinez is ready to fight for glory alongside "the greatest player of all time" Lionel Messi as Argentina take on France in the World Cup final.
Argentina are bidding to emulate the heroes of 1978 and 1986 in Sunday's final at Lusail Stadium, where the reigning champions stand between Lionel Scaloni's side and footballing immortality.
France are looking to become just the third team in history to win successive World Cups and go into the final as slight favourites, but with last year's Copa America triumph and Messi's inspirational quality to call upon, Argentina goalkeeper Martinez is unfazed by such labels.
"Obviously when we won in Brazil the favourite was considered to be Brazil and it happens the same right now," Martinez said. "People can say that the favourites are France, but we have the great advantage to have the greatest player of all time.
"We always like to hear that the opponent is the favourite because we don't feel either superior or inferior to anyone. But, as I always say, we have the greatest player of all time. And with a good defence, we have many chances to reach our goal."
Messi is playing at his fifth and final World Cup and looking to crown a glittering career with victory in Qatar.
"I see him very happy," Martinez said of the Argentina skipper. "He feels very well on the pitch. I saw a great Messi in Copa America. He was an exceptional player, one of the best undoubtedly in Copa America - and in this World Cup he took a step forward compared to Copa America.
"He's playing very well, and this gives so much energy to the whole squad because we have the greatest player. He's excited, he is full of joy and this helps us very much."
Messi will become the record appearance maker in World Cup history on Sunday when he plays his 26th and final match on this stage.
Having broken onto the scene as a teenager in 2006 and gone on to reach the final in 2014, the 35-year-old this week confirmed his fifth finals will be his last.
Now comes the chance to crown his glittering career by captaining Argentina to their first World Cup triumph since the late Diego Maradona inspired the side to victory in 1986.
Messi has looked particularly driven throughout the tournament in Qatar, leading his side with aplomb and scoring five goals in the process.
Sky Sports' Paul Merson:
"Messi is a magician. Everybody in the world knows he is going on his left foot. He does nothing out of the ordinary to get onto his left foot, and he does it. It's mesmerising.
"It's the way he does it. You see players do 15 stepovers and Cruyff turns, but he just gets the ball, runs at defenders and drops his shoulder.
"He's like the Ronnie O'Sullivan of football. He knows everything he is doing before it happens.
"You watch the game the other day. He beats two players in the centre of the park before hitting a crossfield pass with his right foot without even looking. He knows before it even happens. He sees all the pictures."
Argentina coach Scaloni was evasive when asked how he would go tackle the threat posed by France forward Kylian Mbappe in Sunday's final.
"We already decided the strategy and we will play in a way in which we think we can hurt our rivals the most and suffer the least," Scaloni said.
"We have our gameplan, we know how to play them and now we just have to execute, and I hope we can play a similar game as we did against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals - but win the match without having to go through the pain of a penalty shootout."
Scaloni continued: "To stop Mbappe you need a collective effort. But France is more than just Mbappe. We need to focus on making a good game collectively.
"Sunday's game is much more than Lionel Messi against Mbappe, it's Argentina against France, it goes beyond that.
"We both have the necessary weapons so that the game can be decided by other players and not necessarily the two of them. Let's hope it falls on our side, but there are plenty of players who can decide the game.
On Messi's final World Cup appearance, Scaloni added: "Let's hope that if it's Leo's last game, that we can win the title. It would be great, and the important thing is to enjoy it. What better scenario than in a World Cup final."
Sky Sports' Paul Merson:
"You've got one of the greatest players ever to play football and someone who is not far off being the best player in the world now, and at a young age who can do almost everything.
"If France play like they did against Morocco, this game will be over pretty quickly, and Argentina aren't very good. When you look at the two countries you think this is a blockbuster of a football match, but both teams aren't the best.
"England should have beat France. We were a better team than them and Morocco were by far the better team in the second half against France. When France scored early I thought it was all over, but in the end, France were hanging on against Morocco.
"France haven't been great barring Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann and then you look at Argentina, Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez. Apart from that, they haven't been the best either. These are two blockbuster footballing countries, but not great teams."
