Messi’s Argentina face Spain’s cool machine

Argentina and Spain were supposed to settle a score in Qatar earlier this year, in the Finalissima between the champions of South America and Europe, before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran forced the match to be cancelled. On Monday [1ma, Bangladesh Time] in New Jersey, they will finally meet with rather more than ceremonial silverware at stake.

The World Cup final offers football’s grandest stage a deliciously odd pairing: Argentina, all pulse, fire and Lionel Messi, against Spain, the European champions who appear to treat chaos as an administrative error and have turned control into something close to an art form.

It is South America v Europe, passion v precision, a match threaded with curious personal history, from the touchline to La Masia, where Barcelona’s greatest graduate, Messi, will face teenager Lamine Yamal, the academy’s dazzling young heir.Messi’s Argentina face Spain’s cool machine in final rich with personal twists

Argentina are back in the final four years after their cathartic triumph in Qatar, when Messi finally lifted the trophy in a breathless win over France. Back then, with Messi aged 35, another World Cup final seemed fanciful. Now 39, he is still bending time, defenders and probability.Messi’s Argentina face Spain’s cool machine in final rich with personal twists

The World Cup trophy has not returned to Buenos Aires this time. The pain of losing to Spain in the final has not yet been erased. In the midst of that disappointment, Argentine midfielder Rodrigo de Paul broke his silence.

In an emotional message on Instagram, a little over 24 hours after the match, he responded strongly to critics and also expressed the pain of losing the title.