With Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal set to command much of the spotlight in the World Cup final, the bigger story may be the sharp clash in identity between Argentina and Spain.
Possession is expected to be the game’s defining battleground, and FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas is skeptical that Argentina can knock Spain out of its trademark rhythm or consistently disrupt its ball-dominant approach.
“I don’t think Spain is going to get caught up in the knife fight that is Argentina and what Argentina wants to do,” Lalas said. “Playing against Spain, how are you going to get the ball? They will not let you get the ball.”
Individual prizes such as the Golden Boot and Golden Ball remain part of the World Cup conversation, but Lalas does not believe Messi is consumed by any personal race heading into the final.
“I don’t think Messi is sitting in the hotel a couple miles away here, I don’t think he gives a ‘you know what’ when it comes to the Golden Boot relative to winning a World Cup,” Lalas said.
“Winning a World Cup, and when it comes to someone like Messi, going back to back and winning a World Cup, that carries so much more weight, I think, than the actual goal scoring.”
Asked to predict who will lift the trophy, Lalas, Peter and Kaspar Schmeichel were in agreement: all three backed Spain to win the World Cup final.
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That shared prediction underscores the central question of the matchup: whether Argentina’s edge and experience can overcome Spain’s control, patience and relentless command of possession.
